Holding Back the Years
by makesmyheadspin
Summary: Eric is a powerful prosecutor. Sookie is the one who got away, & just happens to be the key to bringing down a criminal Eric has been working for years to put behind bars. Can they overcome their past to work together for the common good? AH/OOC
1. Pretty Girls Make Graves

Yeah, so, here's the deal. This idea was originally going to be an entry for the "I Write The Songs" contest. The problem is, it was too big of an idea to confine just to a one shot that was less than 12,000 words. So, I did a little playing with the idea, added a few layers to it, and BAM! a new multi-chapter story was born. I wanted to hold off on writing this, but it's been in my brain for weeks now. It finally got the better of me last night, and I had to write this. But, I thought I'd toss out the first chapter to see if there's any interest in where the rest of it might go. It'll be dramatic and angsty in a lot of places, so be prepared for that.

Hope you enjoy it, baby birds!

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Chapter 1: Pretty Girls Make Graves

The file landed on Eric's heavy mahogany desk with a thud. He looked up from his computer screen to see Pam Ravenscroft leaning over the desk with a smug look of triumph on her face. Eric sat back in his seat and pulled his arms up over his head to stretch. He'd been working on a brief for the last two hours on a case he'd been working for the better part of six months. The trial was finally set to start in the next week. About. Fucking. Time.

"What's this?" Eric nodded to the file.

"_That_ is Victor fucking Madden on a silver platter." Pam winked.

Eric shot forward and grabbed the folder to look through the papers. "How?"

"I have my ways." Pam shrugged.

Eric looked at the documents Pam had brought him. Affidavits, statements, photographs and all sorts of evidence had been gathered. It was enough to get Madden a needle in his arm. For years, Eric had taken a personal interest in bringing this particular brand of scum to his knees. So far, Madden had been able to wriggle through every single loophole the law allowed him. There were times when Eric wasn't sure who he hated more- Madden, or his scumbag attorney, Bobby Burnham.

"Tell me this is iron clad, Pam." Eric said with a hint of desperation.

"Iron clad." She winked.

Eric breathed a sigh of relief and deflated a bit in his expensive leather chair. He felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. Years and years of what felt like chasing his own tail had him thinking there was no way he was ever going to be able to nail Madden. He'd been close back in '07, but then the key witness in Eric's case mysteriously disappeared. Felipe de Castro had been framed to look like he was the head honcho of the tri-state operation, but he was just a puppet. Madden was the one pulling the strings.

Eric wanted to ask how this was possible. Someone on the inside had to have given up the information. After years of trying to plant one rat or another in the organization Madden secretly fronted, he'd come up with nothing reliable. Nearly every piece of intelligence they'd been given turned out to be either false leads, or couldn't be co-oberated. Witnesses kept disappearing. Eric, himself, had been put in the cross-hairs on more than one occasion. Madden didn't like people snooping around his operation.

It was understandable, considering what he was on the hook for. The laundry list of charges Eric was prepared to file had more blood on it than any one person should see in a lifetime. It was crazy to think that finally, after years and years of sweating this case, he had everything he needed to put Madden away. He was so deep into the investigative side that it took a minute to think about what would come next.

"You okay in there, Northman?" Pam smirked.

"Yeah." He shook his head. "It's just..."

"Life's work." Pam said with a nod of understanding.

"Something like that." Eric saved the document he was working on and shut down his computer. "Come on, Ravenscroft, we're going for a drink."

Eric grabbed his suit jacket off the back of his door and slid his arms into the sleeves. He buttoned the jacket and reached for his briefcase. Pam stood in the same spot in front of Eric's desk with her arms folded over her chest. She looked Eric up and down like she was debating over what to say to him. Pam wasn't really known for beating around the bush, so her attempt at tact was out of character.

"What?" Eric asked when Pam didn't move.

Pam grabbed the file and walked it over to Eric. "You're going to want to take a closer look at this before you start celebrating."

"You said iron clad, Pam." Eric nearly growled.

"And it is. My source is listed in there." Pam narrowed her eyes at the folder.

"Where?" Eric set down his briefcase to look at the file.

"Last page. There's even a picture." The solemn expression on Pam's face left a bad taste in Eric's mouth.

He flipped the folder open and began to rifle through the pages until he came to the very last one. A bright, shining smile greeted him. Flowing blond hair the same shade as his own hung in elegant waves past the woman's shoulders. Her bright blue eyes sparkled. Her tan skin glowed. Looking at her face after all those years tugged at his heart. What the fuck was she doing with Madden that she had iron clad evidence against the man?

"She came to you?" He wouldn't be surprised if she had. She'd always been more concerned with doing the right thing than saving her own ass.

"She's got balls, Northman. No wonder you never let go of her." Pam said as gently as she could, which was to say she used the force of a freight train.

"I'm over her." Eric didn't take his eyes from the picture of the beautiful blonde woman. "I did love her, but it's in the past. I don't even know her anymore."

"Well, I think it's time you got reacquainted." Pam held out a business card. "She goes by Sookie, these days. She's waiting to hear from you."

Eric was well aware of how she'd been come to be known by that name. He had been the one to give it to her twenty years before. He tried his best to shake off the feelings that were creeping through him. Now wasn't the time to get lost in his past, as much as he might love a trip down memory lane.

Eric took the card and stuffed it in the breast pocket of his jacket. "I really could use that drink. Now."

* * *

Sookie sat on the couch, sliding a hammer shaped pendant back and forth on a chain she'd been wearing around her neck since her sixteenth birthday almost fifteen years ago. It was a gift from someone she'd been desperately in love with once upon a time. It was all she had left of him anymore. In the years that passed since they were together, so many things in her life had changed.

The eery silence of the apartment did little to settle her nerves. She was waiting for the phone to ring. She'd been told she was in a safe place. She was being guarded round the clock to ensure she didn't go missing like the others. She knew what a risk she'd taken by coming forward, but she knew she had a very clear choice to make. She could stay in the rut she'd put herself in, or she could fight back and break free of Victor once and for all.

She was tired of making excuses for black eyes and bruised ribs. How many falls down a flight of stairs can one girl really take before people start to question things? She'd never been party to the things Victor did, but she was aware things weren't right. Gathering up evidence had been much easier than she'd thought. She was on the inside, whether or not she wanted to be there. She'd tried to break up with him in the past, but Victor didn't like it when he wasn't the one calling the shots.

Her most recent attempt at freedom had earned her yet another black eye and several body bruises after he kicked her repeatedly in the stomach. She was battered, but not broken. If anything, the bruises she saw gave her strength. They reminded her that she had something to fight for. There was still life inside of her, and she wanted to take it back from the man who had been sucking it from her one violent act at a time for the last five years.

He wasn't always so brutal to her. In fact, he'd started out as quite a charmer. He'd wined, dined and seduced her into thinking he could give her a better life. Not that her life had been so horrible when they met, but he flashed around cash and material things like it was nothing. He had fooled her completely, but by the time she figured out what he was really about, it was too late. She was in too deep with him to just walk away.

Then she saw a face in the newspaper she'd only seen in her dreams since the last time she saw him. It had been more than a decade since the last time she saw Eric Northman. He was, without a doubt, the one that got away. They had a very complicated history with one another. She'd spent years trying to sort out her feelings for him, hoping if she could understand it all, she might be able to put it behind her. He wasn't just an ex-boyfriend. In fact, she wasn't really sure how to label him.

He was just Eric.

If it was possible, he looked even better now than he did the last time she saw him. Hair that had once hung down to his shoulders was now cut in a more responsible, adult style. He wore power suits and a smirk that dared anyone to try and fuck with him. When she saw him on TV after successfully putting away Charles Twining, serial arsonist, she noticed the swagger in his walk. It was so familiar to her.

She closed her eyes, thinking back to the way he used to walk toward her. Even better was thinking about the way she would run to him. He would stop suddenly and hold out his arms for her to jump into, which she did. He always caught her and held her tightly. When he kissed her, it was like the rest of the world just floated away. She'd never experienced that with anyone else.

At sixteen all Sookie wanted was to go to college, get married, have babies and someday, enjoy her grandchildren with her husband. It was always Eric's face she saw when she looked into her future. It was him waiting for her at the end of the aisle on her wedding day. It was him holding her hand as she pushed new life into the world. She had been so sure Eric was her future.

But things change. Now, almost fifteen years later they were strangers. She flipped open the cell phone Pam Ravenscroft had given her. It was a secure phone, completely untraceable to anyone who might be looking for her. There were exactly three people who would have that number: Pam, Sookie's guard and eventually, Eric Northman himself. It was Eric's call she was waiting for. Pam had promised he would contact her as soon as she delivered him the paperwork.

Testifying against Victor most likely meant going into witness protection after the trial was over, assuming he didn't have her killed before then. She was extremely cautious of who she would trust. She'd made arrangements to speak with Pam specifically because she was closely associated with Eric. Sookie had considered going to Eric directly, but there were a few reasons why she hadn't.

First, it was going to be awkward as hell to be in the same room as him, and the kinds of things she needed to tell him really couldn't be swept aside. Then, of course, there was her concern for bringing him into danger. Pam kept a much lower profile. It wasn't until Sookie and Pam met that she found out Eric was her boss. Pam was on the fast track to being one of the most powerful young prosecutors in the city. She was unofficially Eric's protege. He was teaching her everything he knew, and she was eager to learn.

The minute Sookie mentioned she had insider information on Victor Madden, she knew she had Pam's attention. So, Sookie faked a doctor's appointment with her lady doctor, and met Pam in the waiting room of her doctor's office just in case she was being followed. Pam had motioned for Sookie to be quiet while she searched Sookie's purse for bugs or other tracking devices. Sookie hadn't been too surprised when Pam found something sewn into the lining of Sookie's purse. The device was promptly removed and dropped into Pam's cup of lukewarm coffee to kill it.

Pam hadn't come to their meeting alone, just in case she was being set up herself. Once Sookie was able to convince Pam she was the real thing, and that she wanted to help get Victor behind bars, they moved their meeting to a private office Pam had arranged for them. The two men Pam had traveling with her did a sweep of the room to make sure it was clean before any conversation took place.

Sookie told Pam everything she knew about Victor. She started from the beginning, telling Pam how they'd met when her girlfriends had taken her to Las Vegas for her twenty-fifth birthday. Victor had found her trying her hand at the craps table, and losing miserably. He'd been a charming, impressive man who swept Sookie off her feet. She'd let herself be blinded by the glitz and glamour Victor surrounded himself with. She explained the downfall of their relationship- how it had been a subtle, slow process until one day Sookie finally woke up and realized she was in one hell of a mess.

She told Pam about the strange men who were always coming and going from the apartment. She told Pam about the guns, drugs and stolen merchandise Victor kept hidden in his house. He didn't think Sookie knew about any of it. She acted like she was turning a blind eye and never mentioned his "business" to him, or anyone else. With the exception of being slapped around once in a while, she felt a little like she was dating the Tony Soprano of the south.

It was Victor having an affair with a woman by the name of Sandy that had pushed Sookie over the edge. That had been the thing that forced her to start photographing things around the house that weren't right. She started to inventory the stolen merchandise that filtered its way through the house. She wrote down names, dates, locations and any little detail she could get her hands on. She started logging evidence of the beatings she suffered at Victor's hands. She documented what sort of drugs were being funneled through Victor's hands, and keeping records of the dealers he was working with.

Victor had wrongfully assumed Sookie was too beaten down to really know what was going on. He spoke freely around her, having warned he wouldn't hesitate to kill her in broad daylight if she so much as peeped word of his business to anyone. She believed him, of course, but she figured she was going to die one way or another. If her death would be because of Victor Madden, she would at least go down swinging. Everything she had in the world she had managed to get mailed to her brother. She'd instructed him to put it in a safety deposit box and turn it over to the police if anything ever happened to her. Jason Stackhouse had done as his sister asked, and mailed the information to Pam the morning of the meeting.

Upon receipt of everything Sookie was able to provide, Pam knew she was onto something. She hadn't mentioned Eric yet, nor had Sookie, even though she was very curious to hear about him. She wondered if he still had the same barking laugh he did when they were younger. Did he still despise coffee? Did he jump at the sound of thunder? All these things Sookie knew about him might be meaningless now. Pam had been impressed with all the things Sookie had been able to provide for their case against Victor, but she was going to need more.

Sookie had been able to convince Victor to allow her to take a yoga class twice a week. Little did he know the instructor had been planted there by Pam's people. Sophie Anne LeClerq had been the "handler" for Sookie. She had been the medium through which all information passed, and she came with her own little guard dog. Andre didn't look at all intimidating. In fact, he gave off the appearance of a bored teenager. Looks were deceiving, according to both Sophie Anne and Pam.

It had taken months to get everything turned over to Pam before it was finally time for Sookie to make her break from Victor. Pretending to be the loyal girlfriend was far too easy for her. She had years of experience at it. Victor had no reason to think Sookie would betray him where the authorities were concerned. She still couldn't believe she'd managed to get out. The trick was to make sure it didn't get back to him where she was being kept until the trial. Pam had promised her there was no way Victor wasn't going to end up in prison for the rest of his life because of this.

His entire gang was going to go down, and it would be because Sookie had found the courage to come forward. Pam and Sophie Anne had tried to warn Sookie what things would be like once he deal was done. They had tried to prepare her for he isolation and the silence. Sookie had thought she would welcome it after years of insanity. She didn't regret the decision to turn Victor over to the authorities, but she found herself in a similar situation to the one she had just gotten free from.

She was back to not having a choice. She was stuck in this little box of an apartment for God knows how long until someone other than her decided it was safe for her to be on her own again. But when she was released, she was going to be handed a new identity. A new life was going to be assigned to her. For all she knew, when this was over, she was going to be Jane Smith from Philadelphia, recently divorced and looking to start over on her dream horse ranch in Montana. The very thought of it made her stomach turn a little.

Victor would be gone, but she wouldn't be free. She fingered the hammer hanging from her neck and squeezed her eyes closed. Eric's face danced behind her lids. Memories of them running free in the sunshine as teenagers tugged at her heart. Oh, how different things were back then. She was just starting to remember the first time he'd kissed her when a knock on the door brought her back to the present.

She figured it was Alcide, coming to bring her a late dinner or some groceries. She slowly got off the couch and grabbed the cell phone that was on the coffee table. If Eric called, she didn't want to miss it. She clutched the phone as she walked to the door. There wasn't a peephole for her to look through. She slid the chain into its track, and carefully flipped the deadbolt over. Her hand settled on the knob, hesitant to turn it and let someone else in.

"Sookie, I can hear you breathing." That voice. Oh, she knew that voice. Her heart stopped before it starting pounding furiously in her chest. "Let me in."

_You have no idea how much I want to_, she thought to herself. Her hand turned the knob and the door creaked open.

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So who wants more? I've got plenty more where this came from. Thanks for reading!


	2. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Hey baby birds! Well, y'all sure took to the first chapter, now didn't ya? I guess this little idea of mine is a winner after all. Everyone wants to know who was on the other side of the door (which you WILL find out this chapter), as well as why Eric and Sookie split up in the first place. The answer to why they split up won't be revealed for a while yet, but you'll be getting bits and pieces of things in flashbacks. They go back a long way, and what I've got planned here is something very different from anything I've read in this fandom so far, so I hope you're ready for something new and different.

And just so we're clear, I'm not an attorney, U.S. Marshall, or a police officer. I try to be as thorough as I can with my research before I go shooting my mouth off about things I don't know. So if there are any errors in the legal stuff, please PM me and educate me on it. Everything I know about the law comes from 28 years as a cop's daughter and thousands of episodes of Law and Order (in its various formats).

Thank you for all of your reviews, alerts and favorites to this story. I really do appreciate it. I'll stop blabbering now. See you at the bottom...

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Chapter 2: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

_February 1990_

Sookie kicked at the gravel in her driveway as she walked toward the house from where the school bus had dropped her, Jason and Jason's best friend off. Jason and Hoyt ran ahead to drop their backpacks off on the mud porch before disappearing into the woods to do whatever it was they did until dusk brought them in for the night. A strange car was parked in front of the house with with words "Department of Children and Family Services" printed on the side of it.

_Oh, right, the foster kid_, Sookie thought to herself as she climbed the creaky front steps of the old farmhouse that had been in her family since before Bon Temps was even a real town. Inside she could hear her mother speaking quietly with a woman who had a thick southern accent. Sookie opened the door and stepped inside. She immediately took off her shoes and put them on the mat by the door. She shrugged off her backpack and set it at the bottom of the stairs.

That was when she saw him for the first time. Sitting at the dining room table was a dirty blond boy with his head down. He was wearing blue jeans that appeared to be a size or two too small, and a Michael Jordan t-shirt that barely reached the waistline of the pants he was wearing. She saw bruises on the back of his neck, and a few scars on his arms. He didn't move a muscle, at first.

It had only been a few months before when Sookie's parents announced they were going to start taking in foster children. They felt it would be good for Sookie- and especially Jason- to see the importance of giving back to those who were less fortunate. The Stackhouses certainly weren't the richest of families in Renard Parish, but they were comfortable. Sookie's father worked for the Parish as a road crew foreman. Sookie's mother had stayed home with the children until they were both in school full-time before returning to her job as a nurse for the local doctor, Amy Ludwig.

There had been lots of visits from strangers to make sure that Michelle and Corbett Stackhouse were suitable parents, capable of taking on other children. Michelle had warned before school that morning that their first foster child would be dropped off by the time Sookie and Jason came home from school. She wasn't able to give any further detail than that. All she asked was that her children be kind to the new kid and help him get acquainted with the other kids in school.

Sookie stood in the entryway of her house, staring at the back of the blond boy's head. His hair was the same color as her own, and hung down to his chin. It was wild, suggesting it hadn't been brushed, or washed, in a while. Slowly, Sookie stepped toward him, wanting to introduce herself as her manners dictated she should. Her light footsteps caused the boy to flinch before he whipped around to see who was coming at him. Sookie froze in her tracks and smiled gently.

"Hello. I'm Suzanne. Everybody calls me Suz, unless I'm in trouble." Sookie offered her hand politely when she was close enough.

She took in the small scar at the corner of the boy's right eye, and the swelling of his lip. He was most definitely recovering from some sort of violence, and it made Sookie's nine-year-old heart break a little. She'd overheard her parents talking about some of the awful situations these foster kids grew up in, and she said a silent prayer to whoever was listening, thanking them her own mom and dad weren't mean to her like some parents could be. She'd never been hit in her life, and it made her sad to think this scrawny blond boy with pretty blue eyes may have been hit every day of his.

"What's your name?" Sookie asked gently as she pulled out the chair next to him at the table. He just stayed silent, his head returning to its downward position. "You look kinda like a Viking. We're learning about them in school." Still, there was no reaction from the boy whatsoever. "They built these big ships with huge oars in them that they rowed all the way to wherever they were going. They were warriors."

Nothing. The only other voices came from the kitchen. Sookie looked over at the boy and noticed he was crying. She wanted to hold his hand but she knew from having a big brother, it was best to ignore it if a boy cried. They didn't want to think they were sissies for shedding a few tears, although Sookie saw nothing wrong with it. In fact, it seemed like a natural reaction.

Quietly, she slipped off her chair and went to the living room to get Eric a tissue. She put it in his hand under the table and didn't say another word to him. He didn't use the tissue, but he _did_ wipe his face with the back of his hand. She saw more burn marks on the inside of his forearm. She wanted badly to ask what had happened to him, but knew it wasn't her place to go poking in his business.

Finally, and without warning, the boy mumbled, "Eric."

Sookie took a big chance my reaching over and squeezing his small hand with her own. "It's nice to meet you, Eric."

* * *

_Present Day_

"Where are you going?" Pam asked when Eric stood abruptly.

"I have to see her."

"No." Pam jumped up. "Eric, you can't do that. Do you have any idea how unsafe it is for you to be with her?"

"Pam, there's a lot between us that you don't know. If she got into it with Madden..." Eric trailed off.

"She's safe now, Eric, you have my word. I have the best people available handling her."

_It should be me_, he thought to himself. "I need to see it with my own eyes."

Pam rolled her eyes and said, "You're going to get her killed if you aren't careful. You know how easy it is for someone to catch wind of where she is. You also know how easy it would be for someone to put a slug between her eyes."

Eric stared hard at Pam. "I appreciate your concern, Pam, but not now." Eric dropped a bill on the table and buttoned his jacket.

"At least have an escort follow you." Pam insisted as they walked out of the bar.

"There's a guard posted outside her door, right?" Eric dug for his car keys on his pocket.

"Of course there is."

"Good. Tell him I'm coming." Eric paused as he hit the button on the key ring to disarm the alarm system. "Use the code name Viking."

Pam actually laughed, which was something she rarely did. "Viking?"

"She'll know it's me." Eric opened the car door and tossed his briefcase inside.

"Hmph." Pam pulled her cell phone from her purse. "I don't like this, Eric. It can't become a habit."

"I'm sorry, Pam, but who's the boss here?" Eric tossed his jacket in after the expensive leather case.

"Thinking with your dick isn't going to help any of us." Pam retorted.

Eric's eyes narrowed, prepared to go off on Pam for being wildly inappropriate, but he stopped when he wondered if maybe she was right. At least a little.

"That's not what this is about." Eric got in the car. "Call the guard. I'll be there in less than ten minutes."

"You don't even know where she is." Pam folded her arms over her chest.

"Sure I do. I read it in your file." Eric winked, and then peeled out of the parking garage.

Eric made a series of turns, trying to decide what, exactly, he was going to say to Sookie. It had been so long since he'd seen her last. Things between them... well, complicated would be putting it mildly. Clusterfuck would be more adequate, but even that didn't quite cover it. The thought of her endangering herself with scum like Madden didn't make any sense. While it was true Sookie was notorious for doing what was right, rather than what was smart, this was way beyond anything she'd done in the past. This could have gotten her killed, and she wasn't out of harm's way just yet.

He didn't know if he wanted to yell at her for being a fool, or kiss her for being able to do what he couldn't. If she had just a little more discipline and a little less passion, she would have made a great spy. She had always been able to play both sides of an argument and get inside someone's head. It was almost like she could read minds sometimes.

He parked the car in the underground garage of the building Sookie had been stashed in. It wasn't really an apartment building. She was in a loft above a tile manufacturer in an industrial neighborhood. Oddly enough, the location of the safe house Pam had chosen to put Sookie in was only three blocks away from Eric's own condo. Only the accommodations at Eric's place were much nicer than what Sookie was living with.

Sookie's guard, a burly man with green eyes and curly dark hair, was waiting at the elevator when the doors opened. "Alcide Herveaux."

"Viking." Eric said with a smug grin on his face.

"Yeah, I tried to tell her you were coming, but I don't know if she heard me or not. Maybe she was in the shower." Alcide shrugged.

"How's she been?" Eric stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Alcide took a deep breath, carefully choosing his words before answering. "I think she'll be happy to see you."

That stopped Eric in his tracks. "Why do you think that?"

"She's asked about you more than once, from what I understand. I'll give you two some space." Alcide headed toward the elevator. "She's got my cell number if anything goes wrong. There's also a gun strapped under the coffee table, and another behind the toilet tank. She knows how to use them. Sophie Anne trained her. She's a good mark."

Eric nodded his head in understanding. He wasn't surprised to hear Sookie was a good shooter. He'd seen her with a BB gun when they were younger. Jason himself had been the victim once or twice after one nasty prank or another. He always complained it was all in good fun and Sookie was overreacting, but he could be downright mean to her sometimes. It was either she shoot him in the calf, or she let Eric at him. Either way, Jason was going to be walking with a limp for a while.

He braced himself with his hands pressed to either side of the large door. He knocked firmly and quickly, then waited to hear movement inside the loft. It took a few seconds before he heard anything. There was the sound of a chain being slid into place, and he smiled to himself. At least she was attempting to be cautious. The deadbolt flipped over, and his heart stopped. It had been years since he'd been face to face with her. Too long.

But then nothing happened. The door didn't open and she didn't speak. He pressed his ear to the door and he could hear her gasping or air on the other side. He knew what that meant. She was feeling the same anxiety he was. There was so much between them, so many things they needed to say.

"Sookie, I can hear you breathing." Eric could barely get the words out. The voice echoing in the hall didn't sound like his own. "Let me in."

It was another few seconds before he noticed the doorknob starting to turn. The chain was taken out of its track and slowly, almost painfully so, the door creaked open. Inch by inch, Sookie was revealed to him. She was dressed in a pair of dark gray slacks and a fuzzy red sweater. It was obvious the curves he'd once fallen in love with were still very much a part of her. It wasn't until Eric saw her face that the reality of it all hit home.

Appropriate or not, he gathered her into his arms and held her tightly. She smelled exactly the same as he remembered. The scent was almost hypnotic, and slammed him backward in time. She sobbed quietly against his chest, her arms wrapped just as tightly around him as his were around her. He wanted to scoop her up, carry her inside and lock himself in there with her until he knew every moment of the time they'd been apart, but he knew he couldn't do that.

It was a few minutes before they were able to pull apart from each other. When she looked up at him with watery blue eyes, he wiped away her tears with his thumbs. It didn't seem possible she should still be so beautiful after all the time that had passed. Her left eye and cheek were bruised, suggesting she'd taken a hit from Madden recently, which only renewed the rage festering inside of Eric.

"He's going to die, Sookie." Those weren't the first words he'd planned on saying, but it somehow seemed fitting.

"I like to think he's already dead." She answered with just a hint of a smile.

Before he could stop himself he bent down and kissed her forehead. He lingered longer than he should have, taking in the smell of her hair. Cinnamon. She smelled like cinnamon. She gasped and pushed back from him.

"Your shirt! Oh my gosh, Eric, I'm so sorry!" She hurried to the sink to wet down a paper towel.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing the dry cleaners can't get out." Eric shrugged as he closed and locked the door behind himself.

He remained facing the door for a moment to gather his wits before turning around to face her. Seeing her shouldn't cause such a mass of contradictions to swirl up in him. It was over. It had been over for years. He reasoned that as his first love, it was only natural that he would still care for her on some level, but the rest of it... well, he had to take Pam's advice and not think with his dick.

Sookie was standing just a hair too close and when he turned around, his arm brushed against the swell of her breast. Both of them sucked in air and Sookie thrust the damp napkin at him. It was good that she did because if she had touched him again at that moment, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from throwing her up against the wall and kissing her senseless. His initial agitation with Pam for not telling him she'd been working with Sookie vanished. He understood now why she'd kept it to herself.

"So, I have to say, I'm a little surprised to see you here. Pam said you were going to call." Sookie held up the cell phone Pam had given to her.

"I'm probably breaking about a dozen rules by being here right now." Eric admitted.

"Look, it's not that I'm not happy to see you," Sookie padded back to the living room area and sat on the sofa with her knees neatly folded underneath her in a familiar pose that had Eric thinking about how he used to lay on her parents' couch with his head in her lap for hours and hours when they were younger. She would finger comb his hair or lightly scratch at his chest or shoulders while they watched TV after school. "It's been a long time coming, I think. I wish it were under better circumstances than these."

"So do I." Eric sat in the arm chair opposite the sofa.

"I think we should make an agreement right here, right now, that we're going to be professional about all of this." Sookie's voice was strained.

Eric nodded and said, "You're right, I think we should. But before we do, I think there's some things we need to get out in the open. Things we should have said a long time ago."

Sookie bit her bottom lip, more tears coming to her eyes. "Okay. So, where do you want to start?" She tried her best to smile in order to hide her tears.

Eric thought for a moment. He'd had this conversation with her a million times in his head. He'd dreamed about it for years. There were times when he'd see a curvy blonde woman on the street, and he'd pick up his pace in the hopes that it was her. They would go for coffee or a drink, and they would talk until they were forced back out onto the street. They would completely clear the air with each other, and when all was said and done, they would promise to keep in touch. Even better was, they would actually follow through on this promise. There were too many broken ones in the past already.

He inhaled sharply before leaning forward just a bit, shifting uncomfortably in his seat under the weight of Sookie's stare. He'd know her eyes on him anywhere. It still gave him goosebumps. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair, an old habit he'd broken himself of years before after cutting his shoulder length hair much shorter.

"I think saying I'm sorry is a good place to start." He wanted to look her in the eyes. He _should_ look her in the eyes. He heard her make a small noise and his gaze traveled to her face. Her eyes were closed and tears were sliding down her cheeks. "I should have said that a long time ago, but I am sorry, Sookie. I always was."

She nodded, her eyes still closed as she cried silently. She sniffled once or twice before finally letting her eyes open. "Good." She nodded, sniffling again and wiping her face. "Then let me start out by saying I missed you. Every day."

Fuck. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

I told you...drama and angst. You've been warned. Not that this story is going to be an all-out bummer, but it's definitely going to have its fair share of sadness. I think the flashback at the start gives you an idea of how sad it can get. I once wanted to be a social worker, but realized I couldn't do it because I would get too personally involved with the kids assigned to me. More over, I would want to kill their parents, and that's pretty much against the law. We'll learn more about Eric's childhood in the next chapter. Which, by the way, is already finished. For those you reading HFT, no, I haven't abandoned it. I'm working on it. I promise. When the words hit me, they'll fly right out. I can't/won't force it just so I can say it's done. It's too important to me to get it right.

Thanks for reading xoxo


	3. Good Enough

Hey there, baby birds. Thanks for all of your love on the last chapter. I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying this considering the rather heavy subject matter we're dealing with in this story. Poor Eric had a pretty rough start in life, and you're about to hear a little bit of just how rough it was for him. There'll be more glimpses into Eric and Sookie's past as we go along. Thanks again for all of your reviews, favorites and alerts. Y'all rock my socks!

* * *

Chapter 3: Good Enough

_March 1990_

For the last two weeks, Eric had been in the care of Michelle and Corbett Stackhouse. They were kind to him- much kinder than anyone else had ever been in his short life. At eleven-years-old, he couldn't remember a time where he ever felt like he was loved. He'd been bounced from one place to another, going to school only when his father remembered to enroll him. He'd stayed in the first and second grades long enough to learn how to read and do very basic arithmetic, but that was about it.

He was mostly self-taught. He read a lot. He read everything he could get his hands on. He wasn't good with other kids. He wasn't used to their playful banter or the teasing. He flinched when the other kids tried to get him to play tag. He shied away whenever anyone asked about his various scars. Years of being mistreated by a "father" who had no business caring for a child had left him damaged in ways he couldn't begin to explain.

The Stackhouses tried to make him feel like part of the family. They included him in everything. They set rules and expected him to live by them. Nothing they asked him to do was stepping over a line. He complied because he was used to the punishments his father liked to dole out for misbehaving, and none of them were as simple as an afternoon without television or not getting to have dessert after dinner. No, Eric's father's punishments were painful and took weeks of healing, which usually meant a trip to the hospital and a few weeks out of school.

The fact that he could still use his right arm was amazing, considering the number of times it had been broken. Mr. Ocella, as Eric called his father- never Dad- was a brutal man with no patience for his son. In fact, there wasn't really any proof Eric was his son, other than the word of a woman who had died long ago. The only reason Mr. Ocella hadn't turned Eric over to the state was because of the support checks that rolled in every month. It wasn't really enough for them to survive on, so Mr. Ocella worked odd jobs.

It was quite the change for Eric to be in a home with not only two parents, but ones who both worked normal jobs. They didn't raise their voices unless they were laughing. They didn't raise their hands, or any other objects to him. He was given his own bed, in his own room and his own clothes. It was strange to him to have possessions. He kept things tidy out of fear, and for the first two weeks, he didn't know how to relax. He kept waiting for Mr. Ocella to find him, or for the Stackhouses to decide he wasn't worth keeping.

But they never did a thing to make him think he was unwanted. Jason steered clear of him. In spite of being a year older than Eric, he was smaller. Eric was already well over five feet tall, and growing every day. He'd gained weight under Mrs. Stackhouse's watchful eye. It seemed like every time he turned around she was trying to feed him something. He'd overheard his case worker, a kind woman named Octavia, telling Mrs. Stackhouse that he was malnourished and far too thin for a boy of his size, as if that wasn't completely obvious.

As if the abuse wasn't enough, he often went unbathed and unfed. Mr. Ocella had his priorities, and malt liquor ranked higher than Eric's growling tummy. It was clearly the opposite with his foster parents. They dropped everything for their kids, Eric included. When he got sick his third week in their house, Michelle called in sick to stay home with Eric. Jason had tried to play it up like he'd caught whatever it was Eric had, but Mrs. Stackhouse could spot a faker from a thousand miles away. Her job as a nurse sort of depended on it.

Jason was bitter about being shipped off to school. Since Eric had missed as much school as he had, he was placed in the same grade as Sookie. Kids gave him weird looks and figured he must be retarded since he was eleven and only in the fourth grade. Eric didn't bother to respond to the taunting of the kids who made fun of him. He'd endured much worse than anything they could toss his way. Sookie, on the other hand, was always at the ready to defend him.

She had even kicked one of the boys in the privates after he'd put gum in Eric's hair. Sookie had gotten herself grounded for two weeks, and a week's worth of detention, but she refused to apologize to the boy. She was fiercely protective of Eric, and while he didn't understand why, he was appreciative of it. He didn't care if that meant he was weak in the eyes of the other boys. Besides, none of them were going to pick on Sookie because that meant dealing with Jason.

While Sookie and Jason picked on each other mercilessly at home, anyone caught messing with his little sister suffered the consequences. She might be a pain in the ass, but she was _his_ pain in the ass. The only person allowed to torment her in any capacity Jason, and the same went for him. They were thick as thieves where everyone else was concerned. Although the instances of Jason picking on Sookie had home had declined significantly since Eric's arrival.

He found being with her was easy. She was gentle with him, and completely content to sit silently while they watched TV or did their homework. Like him, Sookie read a lot. For someone who hadn't attended much school, Eric had tested very well in reading. It wasn't uncommon to catch him and Sookie sitting in the living room at opposite ends of the couch, reading their own books. Inevitably, Sookie would stretch out so her feet were near Eric's lap. She'd pull down one of the afghans her Gran had made, and it wouldn't be long before Eric was stretched out, too.

She would tease him that his feet stank, while he would tease her for being so short. Then the next thing they knew, they were pressing their feet together, trying to get the other to submit into a ball. In short, they quickly became best friends. They connected to one another in a way neither of them could understand, considering how differently they'd been raised.

Sookie came home from school each day with Eric's assignments and the play by play of everything he'd missed in class that day. She didn't leave out a single detail. Well, she was able to censor out her trips to the bathroom, but everything else was fair game. It was nice to have a friend. It was even better to have a friend like he could talk about anything with. Sookie never judged him or made him feel bad for being different from the other boys his own age.

Eric was parked on the couch, propped up on pillows so he could breathe. A bowl of chicken soup sat on the coffee table, still untouched. Michelle had tried to get him to eat, but he said it was too hard to eat and breathe at the same time. She'd left it in case Eric changed his mind, but that was three hours ago. Sookie came bouncing in the door on Eric's fourth day of feeling like death warmed over with her backpack stuffed so full it wouldn't quite close all the way.

After telling Eric everything he missed at school that day, she looked over at the soup sitting on the table. "You should eat that." She pointed to the bowl.

"Not hungry." Eric spoke softly.

"You're going to get all skinny again if you don't. You look much better when you're not all skinny. Besides, the broth will feel good on your throat. You want to feel better, don't you?" She looked at him pointedly.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Then I'll go warm up the soup for you. Then we'll watch The Goonies and do our homework."

"The Goonies?" Eric arched an eyebrow.

Sookie gave him a skeptical look. "You've never seen The Goonies?" Sookie's mouth hung open as Eric shook his head back and forth. "Well, we're going to fix that."

* * *

_Present Day_

The silence between them was uncomfortable. It was a problem they were unfamiliar with. It hadn't been that way since she'd first met Eric as a shy, dirty boy. It was amazing to think how far he'd come since then. He certainly wasn't a victim anymore, and never would be again. He'd done everything right after he was removed from his father's care. He'd worked hard to get where he was. He set lofty goals for himself and diligently went about perusing all of them.

She liked that once Eric decided he was going to do something, it was only a matter of time before it was done. He didn't let anything get in his way. It was just one of the many things she admired about him. Her talks with Pam hadn't yielded her much information on Eric's current life, but what Pam had told her was enough to let her know Eric was doing very well. That's all Sookie felt she had the right to ask her.

Without even realizing she had done it, her hand went to her neck to finger her chain and she started sliding the pendant back and forth. Eric didn't seem to be any more at ease than she was, which was really the only comfort she got out of the whole situation.

"Why didn't you come to me when you knew you were in trouble?" Eric asked. It was a very loaded question.

"I didn't want you to be in any more danger than you already are." Sookie said easily. "I know a lot of time has gone by, and maybe you don't care about me the way you once did, but I didn't want to take the chance that you would do something stupid in attempts to protect me. I saw your picture in the paper after you put that arsonist away. I figured if I wanted to be free of Victor, this was my best chance to do it. So, I contacted Pam, since I saw the two of you on the news together quite a bit after the trial."

"I wasn't really talking about that, although I was curious about that, too." Eric shifted in his seat again.

I sighed and said, "We were young, Eric. We had plans and things we wanted to do. You had already been through so much in your life that I didn't want to take anything away from you. You worked so hard to get where you were. I didn't want to ruin it."

Eric scoffed as anger filled his eyes. "I would have been there, Sookie. Every day."

"That's exactly my point." She gave a faint smile with tears filling her eyes. "You would have given up everything."

"Do you realize that even with all the things I went through before I met you, that losing _you_ was the hardest thing to deal with?" Eric stared right at her with just as much pain in his eyes as there was in hers.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

"I'm not saying I'm completely unhappy with the way things have turned out, but I think about the way things might have been. I think about it a lot." Eric confessed.

"Yeah, so do I." Sookie agreed.

"Do you ever wish..." He trailed off, standing quickly as his hand ran through his hair again.

"I wish for lots of things." Sookie stood up as well and got in Eric's path when his pacing became a bit more frantic. He nearly bulldozed her out of the way. "Mostly, I wish for you to be happy."

"You've got to stop protecting me, Sookie. I'm not fragile." Eric said in a stern tone.

"I know that."

"Do you?" His voice was a bit harder.

She thought back over the years since she'd met him. Maybe he was right. She'd never thought of him as weak. She'd always thought of him as a warrior. All the things he'd overcome to get where he was, was proof she was right.

"Is it so wrong to have someone fighting for you in your corner?" Sookie looked up at him.

"It's not that." Eric shook his head.

Sookie reached into the neckline of her shirt and produced the pendant she'd been playing with so Eric could see it. "Do you remember when you gave me this?"

Eric's eyes widened as he stared at the little golden hammer. His eyes darted to Sookie's, then back to the pendant. "Of course I do. Your sixteenth birthday." He reached out to touch the little piece of metal that was warmed by her body heat.

"You gave it to me because I always said you reminded me of Thor. It's a symbol of strength. You put it around my neck and for the first time, you kissed me. It changed my life, Eric. Everything was different after that. I haven't taken this off once since you put it on me. You've always been with me." Sookie smiled up at him as he ran his thumb over the metal.

"I want to show you something." Eric dropped the hammer and began to untuck his shirt.

Sookie sucked in a breath and watched as Eric unbuttoned his perfectly pressed cobalt blue shirt. He pulled the shirt off and tossed it over to the chair. He kept his eyes on Sookie's as he pulled off the white undershirt he was wearing. Getting undressed like this hadn't been part of the plan, but it was something she needed to see.

Sookie swallowed audibly at the sight of Eric's stomach and chest. The scars that she knew so well were still there. She had to restrain herself from reaching out to touch them. There had been a time when she could run her fingertips over him and ask to hear how they'd gotten there. They were stories Eric had been reluctant to share with her only because he hated to see her cry, which she always did when he talked about it.

He always sounded so distant and removed from the things he'd been through. She liked to think of it as she was crying the tears he wouldn't. While some people would see those scars as hideous, she thought they were beautiful. They were reminders of what just how amazing he was. She couldn't count the number of times she'd kissed every single one of them.

It was obvious Eric hadn't let sitting behind a desk make him soft. His muscles were well defined, giving him the torso of a sculpture. Sookie hardly noticed when he dropped the t-shirt on the floor at her feet. He turned around, and there it was.

Her hand reached up and she fingered the ink on his spine. An exact replica of the hammer hanging around her neck was on his back. Under it were what she assumed were her initials, and the date 2/24/90. That was the day they'd met. She traced the date with the tip of her finger, a smile playing on her lips.

"If it weren't for that day, I wouldn't be here." Eric said before turning to face her again. "Getting me away from Mr. Ocella was just the first step. If it wasn't for your family, and you specifically, I wouldn't be where I am. A kiss didn't change everything, Sookie. You did."

She debated for exactly two seconds before she pulled his face to hers and kissed him. It was sweet and gentle, much like it had been after he put that necklace around her neck. Kissing Eric had always felt like the most natural thing in the world. It also made her lady business do a happy dance like no other. Even before they'd had sex, she'd seen Eric naked once when she walked in on him getting out of the shower. She hadn't been able to look him in the eyes for days, although Eric had assured her there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

His exact words were, "Show me your boobs, and we'll be even." Sookie had slugged him good for it, and after they laughed about it, it was better.

The experience had proven to both of them that there was nothing they couldn't handle. Of course, they were only fifteen and seventeen at the time. What did they know about the real problems of the world? Sookie was aware she'd been pretty sheltered as she grew up, but she appreciated Eric not pulling any punches with her. He'd always been honest and done his best to answer any questions she might have. He never talked down to her like she couldn't possibly understand where he was coming from.

Before his eyes were even open Eric said, "We can't do that again."

"I know." Sookie nodded, although she was fighting the urge to attack him with a kiss that was far more passionate.

"Did they tell you what to expect?" He was referring to her shiny new life as an inmate, of sorts.

"Yeah, Pam and Sophie did a pretty extensive prep job with me." Sookie nodded. It was killing her that he was standing there shirtless.

"When the trial is over, you're going to have to disappear." Eric told her.

"Yeah, that's what they told me." Sookie looked to the floor. "I have to walk away from everyone."

"It'll keep you alive." Eric tilted her chin up so they were looking into each other's eyes again. "That's why I can't keep kissing you, Sookie. It's not because I don't want to."

Her breath caught and her hand settled on his wrist. "You're right. We were never good at stopping at just one."

"I don't think I could get over you twice." He admitted.

"Me either." She didn't fail to notice his face was getting closer to hers.

"We shouldn't do it."

"No, we shouldn't."

But then he was kissing her like he'd never stopped.

* * *

I've got fluff in line for the next chapter. And I have to say a quick thank you to the twitter girls for their hilarious argument over who gets custody of Prosecutor!Eric. You guys are a riot. I love you all!


	4. Endless Summer Nights

Okay, baby birds, here's the fluff I promised you. See you at the bottom.

* * *

Chapter 4: Endless Summer Nights

_June 1996_

Sookie lay flat on her back, stretched out under the very warm sun. It wasn't officially summer yet, but it sure felt like it. She was flanked on either side by Tara Thornton and Claudine Crane. The three of them were dressed in skimpy bikinis and sunglasses, soaking up all the rays they could. A group of older boys that was comprised of Jason and his friends, were farther from the house, pretending to play football. They were really out there to ogle the bikini clad girls.

Claudine giggled and asked, "Could they be a little more obvious?"

Tara lifted her head and looked over to the group of boys who suddenly sprang into action, making Tara and Claudine laugh. "Let 'em look." Tara said through her giggles and with a shimmy of her chest.

The boys were all shirtless and sweaty. There were lots of hormones flying around the backyard. Sookie kept her head on the ground. There was nothing in her yard she hadn't seen before, and frankly, there was only one boy she wanted ogling her, and he wasn't there. He was working with her Dad on the road crew. He was saving money for college, even though there was still two more years before he would get to go.

"What's the deal with you and Eric these days, Sook?" Tara tried to make it sound as innocent as possible.

"We're friends." Sookie shrugged.

"Uh huh." The eye roll was evident in Claudine's voice.

"We are." Sookie insisted.

"Y'all two are always making moon eyes at each other." Tara pointed out.

"We do not!" Sookie reached out and slapped Tara's thigh.

"Okay, fine. _You're_ always making moon eyes at him." Claudine corrected.

"Ugh." Sookie grunted and sat up, starting another round of awkward shuffling at the other end of the yard. A few boys bumped into each other, making her roll her own eyes behind her sunglasses. "We're friends. He's my foster brother."

"So? It's not like y'all are related by blood. Besides, you can't tell me you don't get all tingly in certain places when you see him coming out of the shower in the morning." Tara wiggled her eyebrows.

"No, I do not." Sookie said with conviction, even though she was lying through her teeth.

"He's a gorgeous boy, Sookie. If you're not careful, some other girl is going to snap him right up." Claudine warned.

"Eric's not dating." Sookie said plainly.

"Why the hell not? It's not like there isn't a whole line of girls who wouldn't love to date him." Tara sat up as well. "Is he gay?"

Sookie scoffed at the mere suggestion Eric might be gay. "Just because he's not dating doesn't mean he's gay." She said in Eric's defense.

"It's just weird is, all. He's the cutest boy in school. He's got a mysterious past and a bright future. Since you two clearly aren't gettin' it on," Claudine said with a thrust of her hips, getting her a smack like Tara had only moments before. "It just makes sense to assume he's into men."

"_He's not _gay." Sookie glared at each of her friends who both just shrugged.

Hearing things like that didn't make Sookie feel any better. She was more than aware of all the attention Eric got. She overheard girls talking about him all the time and it made her stomach turn. She knew there wasn't a single one of them he would date, but that didn't really make her feel any better. She was irrationally jealous where Eric was concerned, and hated any girl who looked at what she considered to be hers with an interested eye.

"He's got more important things to worry about than silly girls." Sookie reached for her tanning oil.

"Is that right?" Tara grabbed a magazine and started flipping the pages of it.

"Or maybe he's just waiting for you to make a move." Claudine suggested.

"Oh, now you're just talking silly." Sookie laughed.

"Come on, Sook, you can't tell me you never noticed how he looks at you." Tara scoffed.

"We're friends. That's all." Sookie insisted.

"Mmmhmmm." Her friends sounded like they believed it about as much as Sookie did.

"I'm going inside for lemonade. Y'all want some?" Sookie stood up to a bunch of catcalls and wolf whistles at the other end of the yard before Jason started threatening to "dead leg" anyone who went near his sister.

The girls on either side of Sookie giggled and said, "Nah."

"Suit yourselves." Sookie shrugged and headed into the house.

She was surprised to see Eric sitting at the kitchen table when she walked inside. She hadn't heard her father's truck pull up to the house. He was dressed in a pair of dirty jeans and a Parish t-shirt. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had a serious farmer's tan going already, and he had only been on the road crew for two weeks. She could see the muscles of his shoulders and back strain against the material of his shirt, and she had to stop and take a deep breath before moving any further.

Eric turned to see Sookie standing there, and it was obvious her attire affected him just as much. She suddenly felt self-conscious for approaching him in what was essentially her underwear. It's not like Eric hadn't seen her in a bikini before, but the last time he did, she wasn't quite so filled out. Her body had changed quite a bit since the previous summer, as was evident by the way Eric's eyes bugged out of his head.

Sookie opted to shake it off and said, "I didn't hear the truck."

"I had to get out of the sun for a while. I was getting a little lightheaded, so Corbett told me to eat lunch at home." Eric explained.

"I see." Sookie said as she retrieved the lemonade from the fridge. "You want a refill?" She offered after filling her own glass.

"Yeah, thanks." Eric smiled at her.

Sookie glanced down at him once while she filled his glass, and noticed his eyes had settled on her barely covered breasts. There was a little tingle that went off in those places Tara had been referring to earlier, and she quickly turned away in hopes Eric wouldn't notice the pebbling of her nipples.

"So, um, how's it going?" Sookie asked after she was safely facing the other direction.

"Good." Eric sounded distant.

"Daddy's taking good care of you out there?"

"The best."

"Good." Sookie kept her back to him, although she wasn't sure that was much better than being face to face with him. "Well, I should get back outside. Tara and Claudine are waiting for me."

"Yeah, right. I should finish up here and get back to the crew." Eric took another bite of his sandwich.

"I was thinking to check out the movie at the drive-in later. You want to go?" Sookie paused at the back door. _You did_ not_ just ask your best friend out on a date_, she told herself, although she wasn't so sure she hadn't.

"Yeah, that would be fun. I'll be home around three." Eric promised her.

"Cool. Well," She grinned a silly grin and looked over her shoulder, knowing Eric was looking at her. "Have a good day at work, honey."

Eric winked at her, and watched her walk out of the house.

* * *

_Present Day_

Eric navigated them back to the chair where he'd put his shirt. Sookie tumbled into his lap, straddling him easily. Their lips never parted. He'd forgotten how good she tasted, which he didn't think was possible. Kissing her was the easiest thing in the world. From the minute he'd done it, he'd known she was special. Technically, he'd known that before, but the kissing elevated her to a new kind of special. She wasn't the first girl he'd kissed, but as far as he was concerned, Sookie was the only one who mattered. That feeling hadn't faded almost fifteen years later.

They didn't stop kissing each other until Sookie moved to pull off her shirt. She got the soft material just past her stomach, when Eric stopped her. It took every ounce of strength he had to do it, but he had to. "Don't."

Sookie's chest heaved in time with Eric's as they both struggled to catch their breath. She dropped her sweater and pressed her forehead to Eric's. "It's always going to be there, isn't it?"

He didn't need to answer her question. They both knew it would be. Whatever it was between them, no matter where they went in life, they would always be able to pick up where they left off. Only this time neither of them could afford to get attached. Just like it was years before, their lives were about to go down two totally different paths, and the other couldn't follow.

"It's not fair." Sookie whispered.

"Life is rarely ever fair." Eric tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"You know, there's this part of me that really wants to forget where we're headed and just be here with you, right now." Her breath fell warmly on his face.

"I think I know which part that is." He shifted again underneath her, his erection rubbing against her core, making her groan.

"Don't do it if you don't mean it." She looked deep into his eyes.

"I always mean it."

"Yeah." She bit her bottom lip, and then started to climb off his lap.

His hands reached out and grabbed her hips to keep her in place. "If we did this, it would be complicated."

Sookie's mouth hung open. "It wouldn't be forever." She realized how many ways that particular sentence could be taken, but she was sure Eric got the spirit in which it was intended.

He wasn't good with indecision. He saw what he wanted and he went after it. He never let anything stand in his way. Only this time there were too many forces working against them. When the trial was over, she was going to have to go away. He would go back to searching out the bad guys and bringing them to justice. She would settle somewhere unknown to him with a new life. He hoped she would find someone to love, marry and have children with. He wanted her to have all the things she wanted, even if she couldn't have them with him.

He was just about to lean in and kiss her when his phone buzzed in his pocket. They both exhaled slowly while Eric reached for his phone. Sookie got off his lap and put her sweater to rights before resuming her pose on the couch. Eric looked at the call display to see that it was Pam.

"What?" He snapped when he answered the call.

"We have a problem." Pam announced.

"What is it?" Eric pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Madden just got on his private jet. The flight log says he's headed to Mexico."

"Fuck me." Eric groaned.

"I'll leave that to Sookie." Pam retorted quickly.

"Pam..."

"We need to file charges, Eric, first thing in the morning. You know what a pain in the ass extradition is from that miserable country."

"I know."

"Don't stay there all night."

"What are you, my mother?"

"You're thinking with your dick."

"Goodnight, Pam. Don't call me again unless it's an emergency."

"Oh, darn, and here I thought we might talk about-" Eric hung up before Pam could finish her sentence.

"What's wrong?" Sookie asked quietly.

"Does Victor have a house in Mexico?"

Sookie thought for a moment and said, "He's got several, actually. He also owns several properties in South America. His crown jewel is in Columbia."

"Wonderful." Eric sighed heavily.

"Pam's just looking out for you, Eric." Sookie offered.

"Pam's looking out for Pam. This case means a lot to both of our careers."

"So what does it mean that Victor's fled the country?" Sookie got right back to the professional stuff.

"It means I'm going to have a lot of paperwork to do, and the feds are going to be called. The U.S. Marshalls will be scouring third world villages until they find him."

"And when they do?"

"We're going to have to fight like hell to bring him back here."

"And if they won't give him up?"

Eric smirked his usual, cocky smirk, and said, "Sookie, I always get what I want."

Sookie smiled at him, knowing all too well how true that statement tended to be. But then her smile faltered and said asked, "Even me?"

* * *

_July 1996_

Sookie sat on the porch swing, staring up at the stars shining brightly overhead. Crickets chirped in the woods that surrounded the house. It was a humid, sticky night, which was perfect for the first of July. She pulled her hair up away from her neck with one hand, and fanned herself with the other. All things considered, she'd had a good sixteenth birthday.

Her mother had fussed and fawned over her all day long, making her a special breakfast before taking her shopping for her birthday present. She wasn't one of those girls who would be getting a car for her birthday, but she didn't mind that one bit. In fact, she didn't want her parents to hand her anything. She wanted to work for what she had. She figured if Eric could do it, then so could she, and she'd had a much better head start in the world than he had.

She was just thinking about going inside to get one a Popsicle from the freezer when Eric appeared in the doorway, carrying two of them. She grinned at him, hoping one was for her. He sat down on the swing next to her and handed one over.

"Orange, right?"

"Yes! You're such a mind reader." Her smile sparkled in the darkness as she unwrapped her Popsicle. "God, this is delicious."

Eric laughed at the child-like delight with which she attacked her treat. Normally, Sookie was the sort to take her time and savor things, but it was simply too hot for that. She polished off her Popsicle in record time and set the stick down on the railing beside the swing. She piled her hair on top of her head and secured it with a perfectly white scrunchie.

"Okay, so this is going to sound weird," She shifted on the swing, arching her back so her breasts were pushed out. She ignored the fact that Eric was trying not to stare at her. "But I really wish they had bras with ice packs in them."

Eric laughed beside her and said, "You come up with some of the weirdest things, Sookie."

She pulled her tank top with the built-in bra away from her chest to get some air against her skin. "You have no idea how hot it is in there!" She pointed down her shirt.

The look on his face was priceless. Teasing that had once been good natured in a best friends, or even sibling sort of way had evolved into something more like flirting. Their words were tainted with sexual undertones and occasional innuendos. It was becoming more and more difficult to push away the attraction they were feeling to one another, and the harder they tried to hide it, the more obvious it seemed to be to everyone else.

Eric finished his Popsicle and set the stick on the armrest beside him. "So, there's something I want to give you, but I didn't want to do it in front of everyone else."

"Oh yeah?" Sookie beamed at him, adjusting herself on the swing so she was angled toward him. She held out her hands expectantly, wiggling her fingers. "Gimme."

Eric's smile softened while he leaned to the side to reach into his pocket. He produced a little black velvet box and dropped it in Sookie's waiting hands. She looked down at the box, prepared to chide Eric for spending too much money on her.

"Open it." His eyes were serious and stopped her from protesting.

She licked her lips, delighting in the citrusy flavor that clung to them. Her smile re-emerged when she looked at Eric. He was smiling right back at her, anxious to see her reaction to her present. She opened the box and looked down. Inside was a gold necklace with a little golden hammer hanging from it. She recognized its meaning immediately and felt tears sting her eyes.

"Eric, you shouldn't have." Her voice cracked.

His large fingers plucked the chain from the box. "I take it you remember what this means?"

She nodded and said, "How could I forget?"

He opened the clasp and put the chain around her neck closing the clasp again. The hammer fell lightly on her chest, just above the deep valley of her cleavage. She looked down at the little hammer resting against her skin and smiled at it. It was perfect.

"Thank you." She smiled up at him.

"You're welcome. Do you like it?"

Her jaw dropped for a moment before she said, "I love it. It was very thoughtful of you. Thank you."

He nodded to her, and started to rock the swing with his long legs. She stayed angled toward him, fidgeting with the empty box in her small hands.

"So, was that what you wanted to give me, or was there something else?" She asked shyly.

"Greedy." He teased her.

Her mouth dropped open again and she slapped his arm playfully. "Shut up! That's not what I meant. I'm just wondering why we had to be alone for you to give this to me." She reached up for the first time to slide the hammer back and forth over the chain.

"Well, there _is_ something else I wanted to give you." His voice sounded different and it made her shiver. "Close your eyes."

She had a pretty good idea of what was coming, but she didn't want to get her hopes up in case she was wrong. All the same, her heart thundered in her chest and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. She closed her eyes like he asked, and tried to keep herself calm. She felt him move on the swing beside her, and then his fingertips were under her chin, changing the angle of her face. She drew in a sharp breath, and then his lips were on hers.

His lips were so soft. She knew they were from the few kisses he'd brushed on her cheeks or her forehead in the past, but it was different to feel his lips on hers. She detected the faint taste of cherry from the Popsicle he'd finished only minutes before. He tilted his head to the side, and then she felt his tongue lick her lips. She froze for a moment. She'd never kissed anyone like that before.

JB du Rone had tried it once, and she'd stomped on his toes. She wanted to kiss Eric like a grown up, with tongues, heavy breathing and all the passion she had in her body, but she was afraid she was going to do it wrong. She was afraid it would ruin their friendship, and she couldn't bear it if that happened. Eric was patient though, and waited another minute before trying again.

Something in her brain told her to just give it a chance. She was never going to learn if she didn't try. So she opened her mouth just the tiniest bit for him, and he deepened the kiss just a little, slowly easing her into it. It was strange, at first, to feel his tongue against her own, but only because she'd never felt something like it before. She'd never really understood how touching someone else's tongue was a big deal, but she understood now.

She pulled back for just a second, needing a moment to catch her breath. Eric's eyes were locked on hers, his fingers still under her chin. He opened his mouth to say something to her, and she launched herself at him, picking up right where they'd left off. They stayed that way for the longest time, exploring each other's mouths and the kinds of sounds they could get each other to make using only their lips and tongues.

He didn't try to grope her or get her to go farther than the kisses. He took the scrunchie out of her hair so he could run his fingers through it, but that was the closest he came to putting his hands on her. She followed in kind, twirling strands of his shoulder length hair around her own fingers, tugging every once in a while when she wanted him to move his head a different way.

When they finally pulled apart, it was like they were seeing each other with new eyes. She smiled at him peacefully, and fingered the hammer on her chest. She didn't think she'd ever be able to stop smiling. Kissing him had been perfect. It felt right, like it was what she was meant to be doing. She leaned in once more and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Sweet dreams, Eric." She got off the swing and headed to the door.

"Happy birthday, Sookie." He looked every bit as dazed as she did.

* * *

*sigh* Young love. I'm going to do my best to balance out the chapters so if we've got drama going in the present day, there's a fluffy memory to keep us all from wanting to listen to The Cure, take a warm bath and slit our wrists. When I say that, I don't mean to offend The Cure in any capacity *is currently listening to "Pictures of You"*. For those who are wondering, NO, I haven't abandoned HFT. It's a work in progress. It's just a very important chapter, and I want to get it right. So please be patient with me. I promise it will be worth the wait. In the meantime I hope Prosecutor!Eric and StarWitness!Sookie are keeping you entertained. Thanks for reading, baby birds!


	5. Man In The Box

Chapter 5: Man In The Box

Eric stretched out on his bed three blocks away from where Sookie was. She was so close. It turned out she had been close by the entire time. It amazed him their paths had never crossed, given their round-the-clock coffee cravings. Then again, he was sure Madden had someone fetching coffee for his girlfriend whenever she wanted it. Hearing the details of how Sookie had gotten involved with Madden hadn't been easy on him.

It's not that he expected Sookie to remain celibate in his absence- Lord knows he hadn't- but it was hard to hear how she'd been manipulated into a really bad situation. He'd heard enough of the battered wife defense to make his stomach turn, but in Sookie's case... well, he told himself his judgment wasn't tainted by his feelings for her. He also knew that was complete bullshit. He planned to call in every favor owed to him to make sure Madden was brought to justice for what he'd done.

The vigilante part of him started thinking of all the ways Madden might meet his end in prison before the trial was even over. He would be facing charges of domestic violence, in addition to multiple murders, drug possession, intent to distribute, coercion, flight from justice, resisting arrest, possession of a firearm (he was already a convicted felon), money laundering and a whole bunch of other things. Everything Eric could nail him for was going to get tacked on to the list. Hell, he could even through in multiple kidnapping charges, considering Sookie had left him several times, only to be dragged back to his apartment against her will.

Madden was going to die in prison one way or another.

He pushed thoughts of Madden to the back of his mind and let Sookie take center stage. He could still taste her on his tongue. The warm scent of cinnamon clung to him. It was going to suck when he had to shower in the morning and lose that smell. He could still feel the feather light touch of her fingertips tracing the lines of his tattoo, and it made him shiver.

It was beyond unfair to know they still had the same chemistry they'd always had and there was nothing they could do with it. When the trial was over, she was going to disappear. He'd meant it when he said he couldn't get over her again. Although, after spending a few hours with her, he realized he'd never gotten over her a first time. He'd just pushed all of his thoughts to the back of his mind, burying them deep with all of the other things in his past that haunted him.

He'd gone through quite an angry phase not long after going to live with the Stackhouses. He'd hidden it well from just about everyone except the therapist he was forced to see twice a week in Monroe. That was the only place he felt comfortable talking about Mr. Ocella. While it was true he'd bonded with Sookie rather quickly, he didn't want to scare her away with the horror story that was his life before he'd met her. He'd built a comfortable world for himself to escape to, telling himself that what he went through was what all kids went through. Even though he knew it wasn't true.

Living with the Stackhouses proved Mr. Ocella was a monster. Discipline was one thing. He didn't mind that. As he got older, he grew to understand the difference between discipline and abuse. He wasn't sure what the word was for what he'd been through, but abuse seemed too big of a catch-all. Mr. Ocella had done some time in prison after Eric was taken away, but it wasn't nearly enough. The kinds of things Eric had gone through left scars that were never going to go away, and the worst of them weren't of a physical nature.

He rolled on his side and closed his eyes. The blurry image of his mother's face floated into his mind. He rarely thought of her anymore. He'd thought of her all the time while he was still in Mr. Ocella's "care." Her name was Stina. She was tall. She had pretty blonde hair like her son's. She had dark blue eyes and a radiant smile that could light up a dark room. She had a good sense of humor and she was smart. She was the one who taught Eric the alphabet and how to count.

She also had a heroine habit that often took precedence over caring for her son. She would try to get clean, and maybe for a while, she'd stay that way. But she inevitably went back to the drug induced haze she could never seem to lose the craving for. Eric lost his mother when she accidentally overdosed. He was just four-years-old. That was when the abuse at Mr. Ocella's hands really got bad.

Eric couldn't remember his mother's funeral, or if she'd even had one. He wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't. There wasn't money for something like that. As a kid, he wondered if his life would have been any better if she had survived. Before her death, Mr. Ocella preferred to abuse Stina instead of Eric. He guessed it was only a matter of time until it was his turn, but he would never know that for sure. Things could have been very different.

He rolled onto his back again and stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't thought of his mother in years. He tried to get his mind to go blank. He needed sleep. He was exhausted. The entire day had been one thing after another, and seeing Sookie again had taken a lot out of him. It brought up a whole host of memories he'd tried to suppress over the years because it was just too much to think about it all.

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes again. They snapped right back open when his cell phone rang on the nightstand. He scrambled to grab it, and breathed another sigh of relief when he saw the code name he'd given Sookie flashing on his phone. "Thora" was calling.

* * *

_July 1996_

Eric walked into the kitchen to see Sookie dancing along to the Spice Girls while she cleaned. He paused in the doorway with a smile on his face. She was so lost in what she was doing that she didn't even see him standing there watching her. She opened the fridge and stuck her head inside, leaving her ass hanging out and wiggling along to the music. Watching her move was amusing and an incredible turn-on at the same time.

He'd been suffering terrible cases of morning wood for months on account of her, and having fresh images of her strutting around the house and yard in her bathing suits didn't help at all. He was torn over his feelings for her. It was a complicated mess of emotions that were difficult to navigate. He saw her in so many different ways, and she filled so many roles in his life. She was like a sister. She was his best friend. And now that he'd kissed her she was like... well, he didn't want to get ahead of himself, but he wanted to be able to call her his girlfriend.

Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Stackhouse might have a thing or two to say about that. He wondered what would happen to his living arrangement if they found out he was dating their daughter. Would they be okay with that? Would they want him to leave? He panicked a bit and accidentally knocked over the broom when he tried to turn around to leave. Sookie yelped and stood up, rubbing her head.

"Eric? My stars, what are you doing?" Sookie clutched at her chest while he picked up the tattle tale broom.

"I was... well, you know I uh..." He could have kicked himself for being such a bumbling mess. "Sorry."

He stood there wondering if Sookie's heart was beating anywhere near has hard as his own was. It had been a little more than thirty-six hours since he'd kissed her, and all he wanted was to do it again. They hadn't spoken of it at all. Sookie had been treating him like she always did, although he could see there was something different in her eyes.

"Where are Corbett and Michelle?" His voice came out all weird.

"Shopping for the barbecue. Jason's out with Hoyt and the boys." Sookie looked at him oddly. "Are you okay? You look like you're going to pass out."

Eric took a few deep breaths as he made his way to the kitchen table and sat down on one of the chairs. Sookie got him a glass of water and stood over him. She smoothed his hair away from his face in what was meant to be a gesture of comfort, but her hand on him in any capacity just drove him crazy. She couldn't so much as pat his shoulder anymore without raising the interest of parts below his waist. It was crazy how that happened, as far as he was concerned.

"Eric?" She bent her knees just a little so they were eye to eye.

One minute they were looking at each other, and the next Sookie was climbing into his lap while their lips hungrily attacked each other. Good God, she was an amazing kisser. Or maybe it was just because he was kissing her that it was so good. He didn't know, and he didn't care. Her willowy arms circled his neck, holding him close to her while her tongue licked his lips. His mouth opened easily to her, and they were off and running just like it had been on the porch swing.

Thirty-six hours without kissing her was too long. He never wanted to go that long again.

* * *

_Present Day_

"I hope I didn't wake you." Sookie whispered into the phone.

"Nope, not even close." Eric sighed.

"I can't sleep either, if it makes you feel any better." She stared into the darkness, listening to the creaks and groans of the building around her, letting herself get acquainted with its noises.

What she didn't say was how she wished he would have stayed. Even if it was just for one night, and all they did was sleep, it would have been nice to be next to him. She always slept better when he was close, and she was sure it was the same for him. As it had always been with them, he seemed to know what she was thinking.

"I shouldn't be having sleepovers with you." Eric said regretfully.

"I know. It sucks though."

Eric actually laughed a little and said, "Yes, it does."

"Do you remember camping out in the backyard when we were kids?" Sookie rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. If she concentrated hard enough she could still smell the damp summer air and feel the breeze on her cheeks.

"I remember you waking up screaming in the middle of the night because a spider was crawling up your leg." Eric was really laughing now.

"That was terrible!" Sookie gasped, shivering at the memory. "That thing was as big as my head, and you know it!"

"Sookie, it couldn't have been bigger than a lady bug." He argued.

"It was crawling on _my_ body, so I think I know how big it was." She argued in a stubborn tone.

"You're such a drama queen." He teased.

She scoffed and said, "This coming from the boy who would take off like a shot anytime he got within a few inches of a bee?"

"Hey, I have a good excuse for that. I'm allergic." Eric reminded her.

They'd found that out the hard way when he'd been stung his first summer at her house. He'd swollen up and broken out in pretty bad hives. He was a mess for two days afterward. He'd tried to hide it, not wanting to cause any trouble for the Stackhouses by making them take him to the doctor. He still wasn't used to anyone caring when he was hurt.

"Excuses, excuses." Sookie teased. The banter between them felt good, but it didn't make things any easier.

"Before you called I was thinking about Stina." Eric admitted in a more solemn tone.

Sookie's good mood started to deflate. Eric only thought about his mother when he was feeling troubled. "Tell me about her." She wanted to keep him talking, knowing that if he rambled on long enough, whatever knots were in his mind, they would work themselves out.

"I don't want to ruin your night." Eric was attempting to block it, but it was pointless.

"Don't be like that. If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't ask." Sookie told him, just like she always did.

It amazed her how every time he talked about his mother, he remembered something new. It was usually something little, like how she never wore the color yellow, or how she'd tried to teach him about football. Sometimes it was something bigger, like the way her voice sounded when she was happy, or the songs she sang to him when he couldn't sleep. His memories were distant and buried deep. He'd worked hard to bury them because it was too painful to remember.

She laid there listening to everything he had to say about a woman he hadn't seen in almost thirty years. She often wondered, much like he did, how different his life would have been if she had managed to stay clean. Although, Sookie was willing to bet if Stina had gotten herself cleaned up, she never would have met Eric. God, how different would her own life be if that had never happened?

She could tell the talking was working because Eric's voice started to take on a sleepier tone. "Eric?"

"Yeah?" He was barely awake.

"Will you leave your phone right there by your pillow for a little while?" Sookie whispered.

"Sure." There was a rustling sound she assumed was him turning over on his bed.

She imagined him curled on his side and she did the same, trying to convince herself that he was curled up behind her. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of him breathing. It didn't take long before they were both sound asleep.

* * *

_August 1996_

Sookie writhed underneath Eric when his lips made contact with a special spot under her ear. He'd found the spot a few weeks before, and made sure to spend ample time there whenever they found themselves making out. They been on a slew of dates and had managed to keep their relationship a secret from everyone. They made sure to go out to places out away from Bon Temps, and when they _did_ go out in public together with their friends, it was easy enough to act normal.

In fact, it was a bit of a turn-on to deprive themselves of the physical contact they both so desperately wanted. They were careful not to look at one another for too long or sit too close, although going to movies was probably the most difficult thing in the world. They were trapped in a dark room right next to one another. Just the brush of his elbow against hers on the armrest was enough to send chills all through her, and more than once she'd excused herself to go to the bathroom mid-movie. Only once did she stay away for too long so Eric could follow her.

Their make out session was hard and fast, but it was enough to let them return to their seats a little less wound up over each other. That was also the night he'd found the spot on her neck that made her squirm and moan. When they were at home, they were equally as careful about the way they acted around each other. Sookie suspected her parents knew something had changed, but they had yet to make any commentary on it.

At the moment, Eric and Sookie were alone in the house with both of her parents off at work. Jason and was already down at LSU for the school year. He'd managed to get himself a football scholarship, and had jumped at the chance to play college ball. Eric and Sookie would be starting their junior year in a week and a half. They were intent on making the most of their last few days together before the drama of high school crept back into their lives. Never had Eric been so grateful to be set back two years in his education as he was right at that moment.

Sookie pushed on his chest, still squirming under him. "What's wrong?" He asked breathlessly.

"We have to stop." She said almost reluctantly.

"No, we don't." Eric dipped back down to resume where he was, but Sookie pushed at his chest again.

"Believe me, I don't want to, but if we don't we're going to cross a line that I'm not ready to cross yet." Sookie moved out from under Eric, who dropped to the bed, making Sookie bounce on the mattress.

"You think I'd try to push you into something you don't want?" Eric stared up at the ceiling with a sour expression on his face.

"Well, I did just try to pull the plug and you ignored me." Sookie's expression matched his.

"That's because I was perfectly happy with the speed we were going at." Eric folded his arms over his chest. "And I'm guessing you weren't."

"Did I say that?" Sookie scoffed.

"I should get back to work." Eric sat up quickly and pushed himself off the bed.

"You're seriously leaving because I won't make out with you anymore?" Sookie stared at his back as he headed for the door.

"I'm leaving because I have to go back to work. I'll see you later." He didn't offer her a chance to say anything else before stomping down the stairs and slamming the front door behind him.

Sookie groaned loudly and threw herself back on the bed. She had half a mind to trail him to the job site she knew he was working on a few miles away. If her father wouldn't have been there to witness the argument, she would have done just that. As it was, they had plans to go out later that night. There was a carnival over in Minden. It was the perfect event for them to go to. If they were spotted holding hands in the throngs of people, no one would think anything of it.

This was the first fight they'd ever had that wasn't over what movie to watch or what kind of music they wanted to listen to in the car. It was different, fighting with him as his girlfriend. There was more at stake now when they fought. She wanted to believe this was a silly argument brought about by raging hormones and the fact that they hadn't really talked about sex. Well, okay, they hadn't talked about sex with each other. It seemed like that was a topic they needed to cover. And soon.

Sookie spent the bulk of the afternoon feeling miserable for accusing him of forcing himself on her, even if she did think he was a little hyper-defensive about it. But, she supposed, Eric was just giving as good as he got. She should have known better. She really hadn't been so upset with him for wanting to kiss her more. She liked kissing her. She very much wanted that to continue. She wanted more than just kisses, and that was part of the problem.

They were both so young, and she wasn't sure she was ready for more than kisses, even if she wanted more. It was kind of like how she sometimes wished she lived on her own, but knew she wasn't quite ready for the responsibility of it yet. She didn't want to rush into something so important just so she could say she'd done it, or because she couldn't keep control of her body. The fact that Eric didn't pressure her for more wasn't surprising to her. She knew he respected her too much to treat her like she owed him sex just because they were dating.

She took a long shower and got dressed for their night out, hoping he still wanted to go. She was reading on the porch swing when the truck pulled up with both her father and Eric inside. She marked her page with her thumb, expecting Eric to stop to talk to her like he did most days when he got home. Instead, he walked right past her and into the house. He didn't even look at her. Her heart plummeted into her feet.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Corbett asked as he approached his daughter.

"Eric and I had a stupid fight earlier." She could at least take some comfort in knowing she wasn't lying to her father.

"Eh, you two'll work it out." Corbett said with confidence. He stopped to kiss her head before going inside. He paused for a moment at the door and looked over his shoulder. Sookie's eyes were filled with unshed tears. "For what it's worth, whatever you two fought about had him in a mood. Just talk to him."

Sookie nodded, but stayed right where she was on the porch. She knew it was better to let Eric come to her when he was upset about something. He retreated when prodded too much. It was residual from the abuse he'd suffered. She hated the twisting in the wind part of it. She hated to knowing he was tormenting himself over something and there was little she could do to help until he decided to let her. But when she stopped to think about it, she realized she was the same way. She hated being pushed into a corner and forced to explain herself.

She could wait for him. She _would_ wait for him. He would come around.

* * *

_Present Day_

Sookie sat up in bed, her cell phone open on the mattress near her hand. The call was no longer connected, but she wasn't expecting it to be. She looked to see how long it had stayed connected since she couldn't remember hanging up. The last thing she remembered was hearing Eric's occasional soft snore on the other end of the line. It wasn't the same as having him in bed with her, but it was a comfort all the same.

The call had connected for more than three hours. Eric must have been the one to end it. She closed the phone and plugged it into the charge. She got out of bed slowly and made her way to the bathroom. She did her business and then looked into the mirror over the sink. Her eyes widened when she noticed a slight discoloration on her neck.

"Holy hell." She muttered. She hadn't had a hickey since she was maybe seventeen, and of course, that had been Eric's handiwork, too.

She thought about calling him to tell him what he'd done, but instead she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and took a picture of her neck. Before she could stop herself, she sent him the picture via text message along with the message, "Maybe I should call you Vampire instead of Viking."

It took about thirty second for her phone to ring, the word 'Viking' flashing clear as day on the display. She felt an extreme giddiness in her chest as she pushed the button to accept the call.

"I take it you got my message?" She sounded way flirtier than she planned.

"Sorry about that. I didn't realize we'd gotten so carried away." Eric apologized.

"It's nothing a frozen spoon won't clear up." She shrugged. "Although I will say the last time I had one of these things, you were also responsible."

"What can I say? Your neck is delicious." The words went straight to points further south on her body. But of course, Eric remembered himself. "Sorry. I shouldn't say things like that."

Sookie sighed heavily. They had agreed they were going to be professional about things. They couldn't let their past interfere with their mission. It was a bullshit agreement and they both knew it.

"Eric, let's be honest for a second."

"Aren't we always?" The quirk of his eyebrow was evident in his voice.

"Our past is a part of us. It's going to have a role in everything we do, whether it's putting Victor behind bars, or the way we relate to each other. It's always going to be there."

There was silence on the line. Sookie pulled the phone away from her ear to make sure Eric hadn't hung up on her. They were still connected.

Finally, he spoke. "I want to see you again."

"I'm not going anywhere." She laughed feebly. "You're welcome anytime."

"I'll be there at seven." He promised.

"I'll be waiting." She said, and then he was gone.

* * *

I'm trying really hard to outline this project, which is something I rarely ever do, and that's just not working for me. So, I have no idea how long this is going to go. I may have another HFT on my hands *sigh* I'm sure none of you are upset about that. The response has been favorable so far, and I'm deeply grateful for that. So until y'all start telling me to shut my piehole, I'm going to keep going. Well, that, or until the muses decide the story is done. The big question is whether or not Sookie and Eric will find a way to be together in the end. Now, if you've read my work you should know I'm a fan of the HEA, but what fun would be it if I told you how it was going to end before we got there? You're just going to have to wait and see what the muses have in store for Prosecutor!Eric and his lady love. Thanks for reading, baby birds!


	6. Doll Parts

Chapter 6: Dolls Parts

Eric had just set his cell phone back into the little holster strapped to the treadmill he'd been running on when Sookie text messaged him, when a tiny pit-bull of a woman named Thalia hopped onto the machine next to his. Thalia Pardo looked to be about fourteen-years-old. Up until the year before she had been a cop, working in the sex crimes unit. Because of her appearance, she was ideal for busting internet pervs like they did on _To Catch A Predator_. Only Thalia was nowhere near a helpless little girl. Thalia was damn near deadly, and she had a record to prove it. She also had one hell of a temper. She was an aggressive litigator, and she'd pushed more than one judge during her short career as a prosecutor.

"Northman, you bastard. You nailed Madden." Thalia grinned over at him.

"I filed, but I wouldn't say I nailed him." Eric started his machine at a walking pace.

"I heard you have a witness."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Eric wanted to know how the fuck that had gotten out, seeing as how he'd only been made aware of Sookie the night before.

"I have friends in the department, remember? You filing on Madden is a big deal. There are a lot of very pissed off people who are looking for his girlfriend who seems to have gone missing in the last twenty-four hours." Thalia eyed him.

"Thalia, this is a public place, and the case is on-going. I can't discuss this with you here." Actually, he wouldn't discuss it with her at all.

"I feel you." She started her machine, having to set it a little higher than he did to keep pace with him. "I just wanted you to know I'm offering my help, if you need it."

_Ah, yes, she wants out of Special Victims_, he recalled. "Tired of baby rapers, are you?"

Thalia snickered, shaking her head as she started to jog. "The only thing that keeps me going in that division is watching them piss themselves when I detail what sort of fun they're in for once I convict them." Thalia changed speeds and started to sprint. "You'd be good at sex crimes."

"Thanks?" Eric deadpanned.

"You know what I meant. Guys would take one look at you and lose their shit. Literally. They look at me, and all they get is wood."

"That's too much information, Thalia."

"It's the truth. Sometimes I think they think I'm a parting gift before they get shipped off to whatever shithole prison they're going to."

While it was cathartic for some to get involved in a career that helped them work out childhood issues, it wasn't for Eric. He had his own way of dealing with his past, and it had nothing to do with searching out his scumbag "father." Mr. Ocella was dead, as far as Eric was concerned. Where the old man was these days was anyone's guess. Eric really didn't give a shit what had happened to him.

"I'm happy where I'm at, Thal." Eric said as he started to jog along side her.

"Okay." She backed off, which was surprising. Thalia wasn't known for submission in seconds. "You don't need me to tell you this, but Madden is a slippery motherfucker. He's got people all over the place. If it's true that his girlfriend flipped on him, she's not safe in the city. He'll find her. He'll probably come looking for you, too. Watch your six."

She didn't need to tell him any of that. He already knew his life was on the line for this. Going after Madden was a huge risk. Eric was very aware of how dangerous Madden was. He was equally aware of how wide a net the dirtbag had cast. He was going to get Sookie out of the state as soon as possible. If it were up to him, he'd stash her in one of the four corners of the world and keep her moving every few years to make sure Madden never got the chance to catch up with her. There were plenty of places in the world for Sookie to hide.

The part that sucked was that he couldn't go with her. When the trial was over, so were they. Forever.

* * *

As expected, the media circus began as soon as word broke that charges had been filed against Victor Madden. It didn't help that he'd managed to slip out of the country the night before. Bobby Burnham insisted he was unaware of his client's whereabouts, and had been unable to reach his client. He acted nothing short of shocked and disturbed that his client's beloved Miss Stackhouse had gone missing. Eric had known it wouldn't take long for Sookie's name to get attached to everything.

There was speculation flying around that she was dead, that Madden had killed her to keep her silent. If he hadn't put a hit on Felipe de Castro the last time charges were filed, it wouldn't be such a stretch to connect the two. Marshalls were already on their way to check out the addresses Sookie had been able to provide Eric with the night before. Her wealth of knowledge on her former lover- calling him that even in his head made Eric's skin crawl- was invaluable.

What was scary to him was that for every fact Sookie knew, he was sure there were dozens she didn't. Madden didn't get to where he was by being a fool. Eric knew first hand how easy it was to get lost in Sookie's quiet sweetness. She was definitely loyal to those she cared for. It was easy to trust her. One look into those innocent blue eyes of hers, and a man could be hooked without realizing she'd sucked him in. It wasn't intentional on her part. It's just who she was.

He spent the rest of the afternoon attempting to deflect the press. He had work to do, and couldn't let himself get distracted by moronic questions from the media. While it was true he often used the press to his advantage, it was a double edged sword. As useful as TV cameras and reporters could be, there were also a few crackpots who let their loose lips flap with every hair-brained idea that crossed their mind. Some of the wild theories they pontificated on during the dinner hour made him shake his head in wonderment.

_How do they not need helmets to get through the day?_, he often wondered as he watched. His best bet was to shut it all out and focus on what he knew to be fact, rather than setting the record straight. He would let Pam deal with the press. She didn't mind listening to the inane ramblings of reporters. Besides, it was better than fetching his coffee, wasn't it?

He ended up leaving the office later than he wanted to. He was just about to call Sookie to let her know he was on his way when Pam appeared.

"Leaving so soon?" She smirked at him.

"It's after seven, Pam. I've been here for more than twelve hours already."

"So have I, but there's work to be done."

"And I'm going home to do it."

"Since when do you live in a loft in the industrial part of town?" She scratched her chin.

"Stowe it." Eric snapped, making sure to lock his office behind him.

"You know you're compromising-"

Eric got right in her face, but she didn't back down. He both admired her and disliked her intensely for it. "Are you aware of orders from the district attorney that I'm not, Pam?"

"You're not seeing this with a prosecutor's eyes, Eric. You're not going to be able to keep her safe if you lead them right to her." Pam countered.

He glared at Pam. She was right, and he knew it. "Rather than worrying about what I do after hours, why don't you look into how word leaked about us having a witness? It's going around the goddamn PD like crabs in a frat house." Thankfully, Pam looked just as pissed as he felt about the leak. "Goodnight, Pam."

She shook her head disapprovingly at him, but said nothing else. Eric left the building through the underground tunnels that lead to the parking garage where his car was. Once he was in the car, he pulled out his cell phone to call Sookie. He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up. There was no answer. He dialed a second time, thinking maybe he'd just caught her while her hands were dirty, or she was in the bathroom. There was still no answer.

Panic slipped in and before he knew it, he was burning rubber out of the garage.

* * *

_September 1996_

Eric and Sookie sat side by side on the living room floor between the couch and the coffee table, their textbooks spread out in front of them as they did their homework. Sookie was working on geometry, while Eric was writing an essay for English. She reached up from under the table to turn the page of her textbook, and Eric poked her playfully in the side. She looked over at him with narrowed eyes, but said nothing. His expression stayed blank as he continued to write.

When Eric leaned over to get something out of his backpack, Sookie retaliated by pinching his thigh. He returned the look she'd given him minutes before, but like him, her expression remained unchanged. This back and forth of childish nuisances continued until Eric finally set down his pen and stretched like a cat, his long arms extending high over his head before one of them dropped down and pulled the pencil from Sookie's hair, causing it to fall in her face.

"Quit it." Sookie's tone was flat.

He bid his time before letting his knee nudge hers under the table. She bit back a smile, knowing it was only a matter of time before one of them jumped on the other, and all bets were off. Slowly, she pushed herself up off the floor and onto the couch, taking her notebook and textbook with her. Eric snickered on the floor, watching as she put her feet up on the coffee table.

_She's going to make this way too easy_, Eric thought to himself. Sookie had extremely ticklish feet, something Eric had learned long ago. Even worse was the spot behind her knees, which was now easily accessible, thanks to the way her legs were stretched out. Eric began tapping his pen against the table, slowly moving the end of it closer and closer to Sookie's foot. She squirmed when the pen made contact with the ball of her foot, and his efforts got him an ear flick.

He reached up to rub his ear, and as his hand dropped down, his fingers traced the bare skin on the back of Sookie's knee, making her squirm some more. It was a bizarre test of wills going on between them to see who could endure more of this nonsense. Sookie's patience was wearing thin. She pulled her legs in so they were folded Indian style. Eric grunted his disapproval.

"Something wrong, sweetie?" Sookie asked without looking away from her homework.

The use of pet names in their relationship was rare. She used them mockingly, for which he was grateful. The very thought of his name being replaced with "honey" or "baby" made his skin crawl, and she felt the same way.

"Nope. I'm good." Eric said evenly.

For a while they went back to their homework, leaving each other to their own studies. Sookie finished her geometry and leaned forward to retrieve her book bag. She swung it up on the couch, "accidentally" hitting Eric's shoulder.

"Oops. Sorry, sweetie."

"That hurt." Eric played it out, even though it was barely a tap.

"You're such a faker." Sookie sighed as she dug into her bag for her history book.

"You're a cold-hearted woman." Eric mumbled from his seat on the floor.

"Am I?" Sookie put her math book in her bag and set it on the floor, careful not to bump Eric again. "Well, I can't have you thinking that." She shifted on the couch until she was sitting behind him. She rubbed his shoulder gently.

The muscles in his arms and back tensed as she rubbed them, rather than relaxing like they should have. She heard him take a deep breath before dropping his pen on the table. His head sank forward before rolling to the side, exposing his long neck. His hair fell to the side with the turn of his head, and before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and kissed the newly exposed skin.

"Do you forgive me yet?" She whispered in his ear.

"Mmm... almost." He whispered in return, his voice having dropped in octave so it was husky and sent vibrations to parts it wouldn't have effected quite so much three months ago.

Sookie felt a tingle shoot up her spine. She resumed rubbing his shoulder and let her lips drag along his neck. It didn't take long for him to turn around so they were face to face, mouth to mouth. It wasn't much longer after that, that he had her stretched out on the couch with his body pressed against hers. Her back arched under him when his hand began to snake under her shirt.

Her eyes opened to see him looking down at her as his fingers brushed against the smooth cotton of the bra she was wearing. She shivered slightly when his fingers found her nipple. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, but quickly surrendered it to Eric when he dipped down to kiss her again. They got so lost in one another they didn't hear the car come up the driveway. Sookie was still writhing under Eric, her legs hitched up around his hips when the back door opened.

They didn't hear it when the door closed quietly, and by the time they realized they weren't alone, it was too late. Eric was still on top of Sookie with his hand up her shirt, when Michelle walked into the living room.

* * *

_Present Day_

Sookie had been in the middle of making dinner for her and Eric when her sleeve got caught on a pan handle, knocking marinara sauce to the ground. It had splashed up on her legs, leaving her no choice but to hop in the shower. Her hair was clipped up high on her head to keep it from getting wet. She'd meant to just get in long enough to rinse off, but the hot water on her back felt good.

She hadn't realized how tense she was until she got under the spray. She didn't know what was worse: being in hiding from a man who would probably kill her as easily as he would a pesky housefly, or not being able to get as close to Eric as she wanted to. She found herself braced against the shower wall wondering what she'd done in a previous life to deserve such cruelty in her current one.

She wasn't blind to Eric's faults. He was far from perfect. There were things about him that got on her nerves to no end. It drove her crazy how he insisted on doing things on his own, and how he could sometimes make decisions for the both of them without consulting her. She hated that his past had left him wounded in so many ways, and no matter what she did, those wounds were never going to close for him. She wanted to believe they weren't festering anymore, but she feared she had helped to create some new ones with the things they'd been through.

She sighed heavily and tried not to think of the showers she'd taken with Eric in the past. There had been quite a few, and they were all wonderful. Thinking that way wasn't going to help ease her tension. No matter what they did, it seemed the fates were always against them. Also not a train of thought that would help her relax. She gave up on the idea of relaxing and turned off the water.

She stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the rack next to the stall. She patted her skin to get most of the water off herself before wrapping the towel around her body. She opened the bathroom door to see a breathless Eric standing there looking positively panicked.

"Eric, what ha-" She didn't get to finish because he grabbed her by the back of her head and crushed his lips to hers.

He kissed her like he was coming home from war. A voice in the back of her head told her to put a stop to things before they went too far, but the rest of her told that voice to shut the hell up and take a smoke break. She didn't understand his urgency, but she figured that wasn't really what mattered. She returned his kiss with just as much hunger. She didn't pull away when her towel fell, or when he started to pull her out of the bathroom and back toward the bed.

She tumbled on top of him when he fell back Her instincts kicked into high gear and started to loosen his tie. His mouth released hers long enough for her to slip the crimson silk over his head and toss it aside. He looked down at the mark he'd left on her neck less than twenty-four hours before, then dipped down to kiss it gently while he released the clip from her hair, leaving it to sprawl around her tan shoulders. Her fingers went to work on the buttons of his crisp, white shirt, opening them one by one until he was able to shrug out of it.

When she'd invited him over, she hadn't been thinking about having sex with him. Well, okay, that wasn't entirely true. She hadn't invited him over strictly for that purpose. She'd be a fool not to at least consider the possibility. Previous experience with Eric had taught her anything was possible. They could be having a raucous argument one minute and tearing each others clothes off the next.

When they fought, they fought passionately and it always ended the same way with the two of them a tangled mess of limbs fighting to regain control of their bodies and whispering apologies for being so stubborn or mean. They never crossed the lines of name calling or saying things strictly out of anger. They fought fair, or at least as fair as they could. She knew it was because they respected one another as much as they loved each other that they were careful about which lines they would cross. She appreciated Eric's honesty every bit as much as he appreciated hers.

She reached for his pants once she got his wifebeater off. Eric ground himself against her, making her moan loudly. It had been a while since she stopped having sex with Victor, much to his chagrin. She never understood the appeal to having sex with someone she didn't love. She'd done that exactly once, and it was shortly after she and Eric had broken up. She was lonely, and needed to feel close to someone. It wasn't until the man she'd chosen collapsed on top of her, spent and praising her for her skill that she realized what she needed was Eric.

She'd hated herself for it, and swore she would never do something like that again. She had no reason to feel like she was cheating, but that was exactly what it had felt like. It had been more than eight years since the last time she'd had sex with Eric, but she hadn't forgotten what it felt like. She kept hoping to find those feelings with someone else, but it never happened.

Eric's mouth closing on her breast brought her back to the present, and she pushed the rest of it away. She let her body work on instinct. She focused on the man she knew so well. She made all of the sounds she'd always made when he touched her, and realized she sounded different when she was with him. She got his pants open and reached into his boxers.

He grunted against her skin, nibbling gently on her nipple when she started to stroke him. Her hand tried its best to wrap around him, but he was too big. She bit her lip anxiously, knowing she was probably going to be sore the next day. She paused for a moment to wonder if that made her a little sick in the head, then decided she didn't care. She'd been dreaming of that soreness for years. She wanted it. She wanted everything he had to offer.

She used her feet to get his pants down, and he kicked them the rest of the way off. His mouth moved further down her body, and she knew what was going to happen next. They had years of experience and exploration with each others bodies behind them. He knew exactly how to touch her, and he didn't waste any time. Too much time had been wasted already. His lips and tongue were as masterful as ever, knowing just when to tease and when to be unrelenting. His fingers stroked her gently, sliding easily into the warm slickness of her core.

Sookie had never been one for many words during sex. She made noise, but it was rarely coherent. Eric was far more likely to speak. Whether it was to remind her to look at him (since he had a thing for eye contact, and her eyes had a tendency to roll back into her head thanks to the intense pleasure she was feeling at his ministrations), or to whisper sweet things in her ear as their bodies joined. She made sure to keep her eyes on his, giving him what he needed so he would give her what she needed.

It was a dance perfected over time. It didn't surprise her one bit when his hand moved up from her hip to hold her down when she started to arch off the bed. What did surprise her was how low on her body his hand rested. His thumb maneuvered to take the place of his tongue on her clit, rubbing it gently while his mouth moved a little further down to take over for the fingers that had been plunging inside of her.

Her body writhed against him, her hips fighting the hold his hand had on her. She managed to find enough words to say, "Eric... ungh...oh God... Eric, please... I want you inside."

He nipped at her thigh and she thought he would tell her to be patient. She knew she was lucky he was the type who got off on watching _her_ get off, but she wasn't in any kind of mood for that at the moment. _Too long. It's been too long_, she said in her head. He kissed his way up her body, lingering for a moment at her breasts before making his way to her mouth again.

He settled himself between her legs and she reached to position him just right. "Condom?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

"I'm clean. Besides, you know I can't..." She trailed off, unable to think the rest of the sentence.

His brows furrowed, and to keep her from falling too far down that particularly depressing rabbit hole, he pressed his lips to hers as his hips moved forward. The tip of him slid into her opening, and she let out a deep groan that had him pulling back to watch her face as he entered her. He advanced slowly. While he had prepared her as well as he could, he knew she would still need a minute to adjust. Her legs hitched up higher, pulling him in deeper.

"God, Sookie." He groaned, his head dropping down to her neck as he slid further into her.

When he was all the way in, he pulled back to look at her again. A look passed between them, and in that moment, they both knew it was never going to be over. They were always going to want this, no matter what it cost them.

Eric pulled out slowly, almost all the way before pushing back in, setting a slow rhythm that made Sookie's heart race and her body tremble with want. Slow and sweet, that was the way it usually started, but it would quickly morph as lust consumed them. This time was no different. It didn't take long for her to cry out with her first release. Sex with Eric was a marathon, not a sprint, and she knew he would make it last as long as he could.

They rolled so she was straddling him once he was on his back. His hands held her hips firmly, guiding her up and down, his eyes glued to her breasts as she moved. She arched her back, shivering just a bit with the movement of his hands from her hips to cover the skin his eyes were so intent on. Her hips rocked against him in a familiar way, and when he sat up so they were eye to eye, her legs wrapped around his waist.

Their mouths reconnected with an urgency similar to what had been there when she'd opened the bathroom door to find him standing there looking panic stricken. She felt him start to swell inside her, and she knew he wouldn't last much longer. His hand slipped between them and began to tease her clit again to make sure she came with him. Her hips rocked faster against him, meeting his thrusts against her.

And then it felt like her body exploded into a million tiny pieces. She came loudly, her forehead pressed to his. His sounds mingled with hers, and she worried the guard outside had heard everything. She probably wasn't supposed to be having conjugal visits with the attorney prosecuting the case she was a witness to. Eric sank back against the bed, pulling Sookie down with him. She buried her face in his neck and breathed deep. They were both sweating and panting. It was so familiar, and yet it was different.

When Sookie regained the ability to speak a few minutes later, she propped herself up just enough so she could look Eric in his eyes. "Feel better now?"

Eric gathered her closer, which she didn't think was possible, and kissed her sweetly. "Getting there."

* * *

You guys have been rock 'em sock 'em with the reviews for this story, and I totally appreciate it. I forget to mention in the HFT update that voting closes tonight at midnight central time for the 7 Deadly Sins contest, so if you haven't voted yet, please do. Thanks for reading!


	7. Play With Fire

**Sookie's Homecoming Dress:** http:/www(dot)promgirl(dot)com/shop/dresses/viewitem-PD553340

* * *

Chapter 7: Play With Fire

_September 1996_

Eric and Sookie sat side by side at the kitchen table with their parents at either end , staring intently at them. While she hadn't been surprised by what she saw when she came home, Michelle wasn't terribly happy about it either. Sookie and Eric had separated pretty quickly, as awkward as it was. Michelle told them to go to their rooms, thankful Eric was on the first floor and Sookie would be upstairs. She was at a loss for what to say. Just what was the appropriate response for a mother who walked in on her foster son making out with her sixteen-year-old daughter?

There was a part of her that wanted to nip it in the bud and forbid them from dating, but she knew that was moot point. They would continue to sneak around if they wanted to. It was better to set some ground rules. It was obvious Eric was nervous. She could see it in the way he fidgeted and flinched while she and Corbett spoke.

Before calling the kids down to discuss it, she and Corbett had decided they weren't really so upset the two them were dating, if, in fact, that was what was happening. Eric was a good kid. He did well in school, and they knew he genuinely cared for their daughter. Frankly, they couldn't ask for a better boyfriend for her. The problem was proximity. The danger was temptation. Neither of them were ready to be grandparents any more than Eric and Sookie were ready to be parents.

"Are you having sex?" Michelle asked, earning her wide-eyed, terrified looks from both kids.

"No!" They both said emphatically at the same time.

"Good. Keep it that way." Corbett said, knowing full well they would do what they wanted, no matter what sort of edict was handed down to them. It wasn't so long ago he was sneaking around with Michelle under her own parents' noses.

"Are you dating?" Michelle asked them.

Eric and Sookie looked at each other, and the smiles on their faces was answer enough, but it was Eric who spoke up. "Yes. We have been going on dates for more than two months now."

That was news to both Corbett and Michelle. They'd suspected something had changed between the two of them, but they'd certainly done a good job of keeping it quiet. Eric and Sookie spent so much time together they really didn't have any reason to think anything out of the ordinary was going on. It had more to do with the way the two of them looked at each other when they thought no one was paying attention.

"Two months?" Corbett looked from Sookie to Eric.

"We wanted to tell you. We just weren't sure how you would react." Sookie offered, getting a chuckle from her father.

"So you thought you'd let your mother catch you necking on the couch?" Corbett glared hard at Sookie when she had to restrain herself from laughing over his use of the term 'necking.'

"Usually we're more careful." Sookie admitted with a whisper.

"Well, let me tell you how it's going to be from now on." Michelle said in her stern mother's tone. "We know we can't stop you from seeing each other. First of all, you live in the same house. Second of all, we trust you to make good decisions. Neither of you have ever given us a reason to think you would be stupid kids all of a sudden."

"But hormones get in the way." Corbett cut in. "And we're not ready to be a Pop Pop and a Gran."

"That's good, because we're not ready to be parents." Sookie assured her parents.

"Definitely not." Eric chimed in.

"Good." Michelle sounded a bit relieved. "You're going to do what you're going to do, but you're not going to do it under our roof. This is not a love shack."

Sookie was again restraining giggles. _As if I could have sex with Eric knowing my parents are in the next room_, she thought, thankful her brain filter was stopping her mouth from letting the words out. Instead she nodded obediently and squeezed Eric's hand under the table.

"There will be no making out on the couch, or any other room of this house. That includes the front and back porch, and if I so much as think I hear you in the bushes, I reserve the right to turn on the hose on you." Corbett stared alternately at each teen.

"_And_ you two will not be allowed in each other's bedrooms without the door open." Michelle warned.

Michelle and Corbett weren't stupid. They knew the no make out rule was sure to be broken plenty of times, but they were giving it their best shot.

"If things change and you decide to take the next step, I'll take you for birth control." Michelle offered.

"And I'll buy a shotgun just in case." Corbett grumbled under his breath, not bothering to clarify whether it would be for a wedding or a murder weapon.

"Curfew stays the same. Don't be surprised if we wait up for you and do random bed checks just to make sure you are where you're supposed to be." Michelle looked from Eric to Sookie. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Sookie nodded.

"Yes, ma'am." Eric nodded as well.

"Good." Michelle exhaled slowly.

The room fell silent as tension settled in. "Does this mean you're not going to kick me out?" Eric asked carefully.

Sookie gasped beside him at the notion of him leaving. She hated the idea of them going different ways after graduation for college, and that was in more than a year and a half. That was going to be hard enough. She couldn't handle losing him now because of a few kisses on her parents' couch.

"Eric, look at me." Michelle reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Eric turned to face Michelle. "You're stuck with us, you hear me? You're a good boy, and we love you. We just want to make sure that you and Sookie don't make a stupid mistake in the heat of the moment that changes your whole life. You both have such bright futures in front of you. We don't want to see you throw it away."

Eric nodded, feeling a huge weight lift from his shoulders. "Yes, ma'am."

"We want you to be happy. Both of you." Michelle insisted. "Now go finish up your homework while I get started on dinner."

Both kids nodded and pushed their chairs back from the table. Sookie paused and asked, "Can we still do our homework together?"

"As long as it's not in a locked bedroom."

Sookie grinned up at Eric and said, "I call dibs on the couch."

* * *

_Present Day_

Sookie was tucked into Eric's side, his fingers trailing feather light up and down the curve of her side. His head swirled with all sorts of emotions. He didn't regret having sex with her. He would never regret that. He did, however, want to kick himself for being so... he wasn't sure what the right word was. Brazen? Eager? Reckless? Obviously Sookie had been very much in favor of it, or she would have kicked his ass without thinking twice. She was no doormat.

She lifted her head and propped her chin on his chest. "So, do you want to tell me why you looked so freaked out when I opened the door?"

Eric sighed, feeling like a moron for his overreaction. "I called you a couple of times and you didn't answer. I got worried. Then I got here, and there was red splattered all over the walls. I heard the water running in the bathroom and I don't know...I just freaked. I couldn't handle it if... I thought something happened."

Sookie pushed herself up and kissed him sweetly. "Well, as you can see, I'm fine. That red stuff you saw splattered all over was marinara sauce I clumsily knocked off the stove."

"Yeah, I sort of figured that out while we were..." He trailed off, knowing she'd get it.

Sookie giggled quietly and let her hand slide down his chest to his stomach. At the same time both of their stomachs growled. Reality was closing in. As much as he didn't want her to, Sookie moved away from him and got out of bed. He watched her search the dresser in front of the bed for something to wear. For a split second he contemplated jumping out of bed to tackle her back, but decided against it.

"I hope you've lifted the frozen pizza embargo of 2001, because that pasta is way overcooked by now." Sookie said as she slid a nightgown over her head.

"It's not my preferred food, but I can make an exception." Eric sat up and reached over the side of the bed for his boxers. He was one of maybe a million college students who had detested frozen pizza. He had outright refused to eat it, and couldn't remember the last time he'd had pizza in any form.

"Good." Sookie walked out of the bedroom with Eric following behind her.

She got the oven started while Eric grabbed paper towels and a sponge to start cleaning up the spilled sauce that was all over the kitchen floor and walls. They worked in silence for a few minutes before Sookie excused herself to go to the bathroom. Eric stopped what he was doing to watch her walk away. A door had opened he'd thought was slammed shut long ago. Thinking about having sex with her and actually doing it were two very different things.

He'd told himself he wasn't going to go down that road again, and he hadn't been able to keep his promise for one whole day. Although why he even bothered, he didn't know. Deep down, he knew better. When he heard the bathroom door open a few minutes later he got back to work cleaning up the mess. It didn't take long to get the kitchen squared away with the two of them working on it. The easy domesticity of the situation wasn't lost on him.

_This is what I want_, the thought crept into his mind. _Too bad I can't have it_, he reminded himself. He watched Sookie put the pizza in the oven and then set the timer on the microwave. The two of them made their way over to the couch. Sookie reached for the remote and handed it to Eric.

"Anything but CNN or ESPN." She warned him.

"CNN?"

"Yeah, don't you stuffy, lawyer types love that shit?" Sookie teased him.

"Stuffy lawyer types?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

She just settled herself beside him, her head resting between his chest and shoulder. His arm draped over her shoulders. It was a perfect fit. Then again, it always had been. The TV clicked on, and not too surprisingly, a soap opera rerun appeared. Eric immediately changed the channel.

"How can you watch that crap?" Eric muttered.

Sookie huffed and said, "Because they're good stories, jerk."

They settled in comfortable silence on the couch. Eric channeled surfed, pausing briefly to check the score of the baseball game that was on. Sookie cleared her throat loudly, reminding him of his promise not to force her to watch sports. The only sport Sookie tolerated well was football, and football season was long over. He noted the score and the inning before changing the channel.

The Braves were playing the Rockies. He didn't really care for either team, but since Louisiana didn't have a team of its own, he tended to root for the Braves. He'd check the final score whenever he got home. In the end they settled on a horror movie on Spike TV. Sookie wasn't a big fan of horror movies, per se, but she would tolerate them if she could burrow into Eric's side during the especially gory parts.

"It's sick how much you like this stuff." Sookie's voice was muffled as she hid her eyes from some creepy looking serial killer with a deformed face and a hatchet in his hand.

"It reminds me life could be worse." Eric said honestly, and Sookie snorted before looking up at him.

"You have a sick sense of humor, Northman."

A woman on the screen screamed, sending Sookie back to her hiding place. Eric tightened his grip on her and laughed. "You're a scaredy cat."

"Shut it." She growled from under his arm. The timer started to go off a few minutes later, and she jumped off the couch. "Oh, thank God!"

Eric changed channels again, flipping until he came to a rerun of That 70's Show. He watched as a Red dragged a tree branch out and lay down under it. He started screaming for help, bringing an unsuspecting Midge out of the house.

"Run, Bob, run!" Red screamed as Midge tried to help free him from the fallen branch.

Eric laughed as Bob appeared from nowhere and shut himself in the house. "I remember this episode!" Sookie shouted from the kitchen with pure joy in her voice.

"I still say the best episode is the one when Hyde makes the pot brownies for the garage sale and the parents all get stoned on accident." Eric said as he got off the couch.

Sookie already had plates on the counter for the both of them while she cut into the pizza that was cooking on the cardboard disc it had been packaged on. "Sorry it's not the gourmet meal I had planned."

Eric barked out a laugh that had Sookie glaring at him again. "Sorry, Sookie, but the last time you attempted to make me dinner, you nearly set the house on fire."

Sookie scoffed, her mouth hanging open as wide as her disbelieving blue eyes. "Yeah, okay, but do you remember _why_ the house almost burned down?" She poked him in the chest.

Oh, he remembered. It was during their junior year of college. Rather than going home for spring break, Sookie opted to go stay with Eric at his apartment. She'd driven all the way from LSU to the University of Tennessee to see him. It had taken her hours, but it was well worth it. She'd gotten to his place late, and they'd spent the night getting reacquainted with each other on every flat surface (and a few vertical ones) in his apartment.

He'd taken a quick trip out to the grocery store to get a few last minute things she needed, and when he came back she was dressed only in one of his t-shirts and a pair of boy shorts that made his mouth water and his pants impossibly tight. They'd ended up fucking right there on his kitchen floor, completely forgetting about the chicken that was frying on the stove a few feet away. It wasn't until the smoke alarm went off that they remembered what was going on around them.

"If you could control yourself..." She trailed off.

"I can control myself." Eric said in his own defense.

"Right, like how you _didn't_ jump me when you got here?"

"First of all, I don't recall you trying to put the brakes on. Second of all, you've done a fair share of jumping yourself." He reminded her, making her blush at whatever memories were running through her head. He leaned down closer to her ear for the last part. "And finally, if I had no control, I would have fucked you until you couldn't move last night. I wanted to, you know. The second I saw you, all I wanted was to rip off that sweater, yank down your jeans, bend you over the kitchen and table and fuck you until my legs gave out. Then I would have pulled you down on the floor with me and fucked you until you begged me to stop."

Sookie stayed right where she was, taking a series of deep breaths Eric was sure were meant to calm whatever fire he'd just stoked by talking to her like he did. She was a sweet southern girl, but a little dirty talk did all sorts of things to her. It got her motor running, for starters, and it certainly made her one hell of a phone sex partner. That was how they'd gotten through the long stretches apart from each other when they were in college.

What Eric wasn't prepared for was Sookie setting her plate down and turning to face him. "So who says you can't do any of those things?"

He arched an eyebrow at her, challenging her to see if she was serious. She stepped around the counter and moved over to the kitchen table. She looked him right in the eye and pulled off her shirt. Challenge most definitely accepted.

* * *

_October 1996_

Eric stood nervously at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Sookie to make her grand entrance. They were only going to the stupid homecoming dance because he was on the football team, and it was sort of a mandatory thing that he be there. He hadn't seen Sookie's dress. He was sure she would look great. All she would tell him was that it was aqua. He already had a suit, so all he had to do was get a tie. Only it seemed his idea of aqua and Sookie's idea of aqua were two different things. She said what he'd gotten was turquoise. So rather than sending him back to pick up something that was sky blue or teal, she went looking herself.

When she found what she was looking for, she'd thrust the tie in his face and said, "_This_ is aqua."

She could be such a pain in the ass sometimes, but he was sure she'd make it worthwhile. She always did. He looked over at the grandfather clock when it started to chime in the corner. It was six o'clock. The dance was starting in thirty minutes. He didn't care if they were late. Hell, for all he cared they could skip it and spend the night driving around on back roads, just talking and listening to radio stations fade in and out of static. Being with her was all that mattered. He didn't care where they were.

Finally, Michelle appeared at the landing upstairs with a big smile on her face and tears in her eyes. _Shit, if Michelle's crying, I'm fucked_, Eric thought to himself. As sweet as Michelle was, she wasn't real big on tears. She was definitely as rough and tumble as her daughter.

"She'll be down in just a second." Michelle all but bounced down the stairs as Corbett appeared from the living room with a camera in hand.

Eric heard the soft clicking of Sookie's shoes on the hardwood floor upstairs. His heart stilled, as did his breath. His eyes were glued to the landing where Michelle had been standing moments before while he waited for Sookie to appear. When she did, his heart dropped into his feet before sling shotting up into his throat and lodging there. God, she was beautiful.

The shimmering aqua material was like a second skin on her body, and looked amazing against her still golden brown tan from the summer. Her hair was down and curled perfectly. He tried not to stare directly at them, but her breasts her pushed up high and round, peeking up from the sweetheart neckline of the strapless dress. He told himself over and over to get his mind out of the gutter. Their parents were standing right there, and Corbett wouldn't hesitate to box him in the ear if he thought it was necessary.

Sookie advanced down the stairs carefully in a pair of strappy sandals, holding a small beaded bag in her hand as she held onto the railing. She hated wearing heels. She dressed for comfort, rather than style. He liked that about her. There were no facades or masks with her. Then again, he'd been seeing her first thing every morning for years. He knew about the way her hair tangled while she slept, giving her serious bedhead overnight. He knew she was quiet first thing in the morning, and only coffee brought her to life. Hell, he even knew the exact right ratios of coffee, cream and sugar she required before she would even let the necessary caffeine boost pass her lips.

She didn't know it, but first thing in the morning was when she looked sexiest to him. She would probably balk at the notion and say he was being ridiculous, but it was true. He was of the opinion she didn't need makeup or to get all dressed up to look good. She could wear nothing but baggy sweats and leave her hair a wild mess, and she'd still be gorgeous.

_God, I love her_, he thought as she got closer. The thought gave him pause. While it was true he'd loved her as a friend for as long as he could remember, he knew the word meant something different now. His hands started to sweat, and by the time she got to the bottom of the stairs, he was a total mess. She smiled up at him and reached for his hand.

She immediately noticed the clammy shaking of it, and gave him a questioning look. He told himself to chill the fuck out, or he was going to ruin everything. They were just going to a dance. That's all he needed to focus on. He could think about the rest of it later when he was alone. He didn't want to screw anything up by moving too fast. She laced her fingers with his and squeezed their palms together. His pulse slowed just a little, but it was going to take more than that for him to completely relax.

"Alright you two, say virgins for life." Corbett said to get them both to laugh.

They didn't say what he asked them to, but the picture still came out great. Little did they know that it would still be hanging on the Stackhouse's refrigerator fifteen years later.

* * *

I don't know what I love writing more...present day Eric and Sookie, or their teenage years *sigh* Good thing I don't have to choose. There's going to be lots of flashback next chapter, but I don't suppose y'all will mind it. I may need to do a couple of entire chapter flashbacks to capture their back story a little better, since these two definitely have a lot of history between them, and it's going to have serious repercussions on their present day relationship. It's almost like writing two stories in one for me. I like it. Anyway...I'm done jibber-jabbering. Thanks for reading!


	8. Hey Jealousy

Chapter 8: Hey Jealousy

_October 1996_

Sookie leaned over the sink in the bathroom to reapply her lipstick. The Gin Blossoms were playing in the gym just outside. The bathroom reeked of too much perfume, hairspray and cigarette smoke. Tara was standing to Sookie's right, fixing a false eyelash that had started to come undone. A sleazy looking blonde girl by the name of Ginger came strutting into the bathroom and parked herself at the sink to Sookie's left. She teased her hair mercilessly.

"No matter what I do, I can't get my bangs right. Any of y'all have hairspray? Mine ran out." Ginger whined.

"I do." Sookie pointed to her purse.

"You're a lifesaver!" Ginger gushed and grabbed the clutch.

Sookie was wiping away a small smear of lipstick from the corner of her mouth when she heard the clicking of her clutch opening. She capped her lipstick and looked to the left in time to see Ginger's mouth fall open.

"Got plans for later, Sook?" Ginger pulled a handful of condoms out of the bag.

Sookie blanched, then turned bright red. Every girl in the room was staring at her, and she knew what they were thinking. Hell, if she wasn't dating Eric, she'd be thinking the same damn thing. She quickly snatched the condoms and clutch away from Ginger, but it was too late. Everyone was asking all sorts of questions that were completely inappropriate, and even though it was the last thing she wanted, Sookie's eyes filled with tears.

She spun on her heel, leaving Tara to deal with the horde of girls who all wanted to know if Eric was big all over, while she ran from the bathroom. It was easily the most embarrassing moment of her life. She ran from the gym, blazing past anyone who tried to stop her, including Eric. She ran until she couldn't breathe anymore, and it wasn't until she crumbled against a car a few blocks away from the high school that Eric finally caught up to her. She hadn't even realized he was behind her, trying to get her to stop. Nor did she realize she'd broken the heel on one of her shoes.

"Sookie, what happened?" Eric asked when he got to her side.

She leaned against him and just sobbed, leaving black smears from her mascara on his shirt. He held onto her gently, stroking her hair and back while she cried. He hated it when she cried, mostly because it didn't happen very often. When it did, it was serious business. For her to have fallen apart like she had, something major must have happened. His first thought was someone had gotten a little too grabby with her while she was dancing, but then he remembered she'd been in the bathroom right before she fled. There were far too many girls in there for her to have been molested by some over-eager perv who couldn't take no for an answer.

It took a few minutes for her to compose herself, and then she thrust her purse at him. "Look what's inside." She wiped at her face, her breathing ragged and coming in gasps.

Eric opened the clutch and looked inside. It seemed like the usual stuff. There was a small ID case, her house keys, lipstick, a small bottle of perfume and then...oh boy. "Condoms?"

"My _mother_ put them there!" Sookie shouted.

"_Michelle_ put condoms in your purse?" Eric asked incredulously.

"Yes, she did!" Sookie wanted to hit something.

"But we're not..."

"I know! I tried to tell her that. She offered them to me. I told her they weren't necessary. Apparently me saying we aren't having sex wasn't good enough, so she just put them in there." Sookie kicked the tire of a truck nearby, then winced when she remembered she wasn't wearing regular shoes. "Dammit!"

"Sook, calm down." Eric tried to soothe her.

"Calm down? I would love to! Only Ginger went in my bag to borrow my hairspray and found the condoms and showed them to everyone!" Sookie explained.

"Fuck." Eric muttered.

Personally, he didn't think it was that big of a deal, but he knew how private Sookie was when it came to the more intimate details of their relationship. He didn't think it was anyone's business either, but he certainly wouldn't have had such a strong reaction to being found with condoms. Then again, he was aware of the double standard there was when it came to sex. It was okay for a guy to essentially slut around and get with as many girls as possible, but the same couldn't be said for the girls.

Eric wanted to tell her it was no big deal, and it didn't matter, since that was the truth. He also knew if he said that to her at that particular moment, he was going to spend the rest of the night chasing her all over the Parish because she wasn't going voluntarily go anywhere with him. Frankly, he was pissed at Ginger for attempting to stir up some drama at Sookie's expense.

"I'm sorry, Sookie." Eric handed her her bag.

"I can't believe my mother did this!" Sookie seethed.

"She was just looking out for you." Eric said, earning him a death glare from Sookie.

"It's none of her business, Eric! Whether I stay a virgin for life, or whether I'm fucking your brains out every chance I get is none of her business, and she had no right to stick her nose into it." Sookie shouted at him.

Eric just stood there and let Sookie vent. He knew she would burn herself out a lot faster that way. It took a good half hour before she finally ran out of steam. It was obvious when she did because she took a series of deep breaths and pulled off her shoes. He thought, for a moment, she might chuck them into the street. Instead, she held them by the straps and reached her hand out for his.

"I'm sorry I'm such a psycho sometimes." She leaned against him when he put his arm around her.

"I kinda like that about you. You're passionate and opinionated. It makes you more interesting." He kissed her hair, not at all enjoying the chemical taste of it.

"You know, if I was a different kind of girl, I'd say to hell with it and use the condoms she gave us just to spite her." Sookie practically hissed.

Eric looked down at her with a leer on his face and said, "If you want to spite someone, I'm all for it."

Sookie punched him playfully and asked, "Is that really how you want to lose your virginity? To spite my mother? _Our_ mother?"

Eric cringed and said, "I'm going to be in therapy until I'm thirty. Thank you for that."

"You did it to yourself." Sookie argued, and they started walking back toward the school. "You know I'm not going back in there, right?"

"I figured as much. How about we stop at Sonic, drink our weight in cherry limeade and then see how much we can fog up the truck before we have to go home?" Eric suggested, hugging her tight to him.

"Throw in a slow dance in the headlights, and you've got a deal." Sookie said sweetly as they walked on.

"You got it." Eric promised before kissing her hair again.

* * *

_Present Day_

Eric kept every single promise he made in regards to the kitchen table, only he didn't stop there. It was two hours and several orgasms later before they finally got to eat the pizza Sookie had made. They curled up on the couch together to eat. It was nearing midnight already, and as much as he didn't want to think about it, Eric knew he was going to have to go soon. There was work to be done the next day, and sleeping over wasn't a good idea, as much as he didn't want to leave her.

"Have you watched the news today?" Eric asked her while ate.

"It's been kind of hard to avoid. It's interesting to hear the theories people have about where I've disappeared to." Sookie adjusted herself so her legs were tucked underneath her.

"I was thinking I might have to move you to a safe house outside of the city. You're too close to the hot zone here and I don't want to take any chances." Eric took a big bite of his pizza.

Sookie set down the slice she was working on and wiped her hands on a napkin. "So I guess shacking up with you is out of the question then, huh?" She meant it as a joke, but she could see the subject was painful for Eric.

"If that were an option I thought would work, I'd have you with me in a heartbeat." He said sincerely.

"I know you would." Sookie reached for her glass of water and took a drink before offering it to Eric. She watched the bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed the water. "I'm also going to guess I probably won't see you for a while."

Eric sighed and said, "I can't be here every night, Sookie. Believe me, I wish I could. I wish you would have come to me sooner instead of going to Pam. I would have gotten you out. You're more important to me than this case."

"Pam told me you've been working on this since you got to the DA's, office. You mean to tell me this doesn't matter to you?" Sookie didn't know whether to be offended or incredulous at his implication. "Because if this doesn't matter to you, then I really wasted my time sticking my neck out for you."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." Eric glared at her. Their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills.

"So if you're going to stash me away somewhere else, what does that mean for us?" Sookie asked, not bothering to beat around the bush.

Maybe it was presumptuous to assume there was even an 'us' to be considered in everything, but she knew Eric. She knew they weren't capable of having casual sex with each other. They could never do that ridiculous friends with benefits thing. In fact, she thought relationships like those were bullshit. Either you were with someone, or you weren't. Labeling a relationship as friends with benefits only meant you were denial, as far as she was concerned. Whether that meant you were in denial about being a couple, or in denial about _not_ being a couple depended on the couple. To Sookie's way of thinking, there was no gray area.

"What do you want it to mean?" Eric asked her.

Sookie took a deep breath. "Eric, what I want and what I can have from you are two very different things. We both know how this is going to end, and it's not going to be with us riding off into the sunset together. Let's face it... we're probably going to be in love with each other until the day we die, but we aren't meant for a happy ending."

"You're right." He agreed, as much as it pained him to do it.

"So I suggest we take what we can, while we can. Then we go our separate ways and promise to live the best life we can. No matter where I go, I know you'll be with me. You always have been." Sookie impressed herself with how well she was holding it together. Of course she knew the second he was gone, she was going to fall apart.

"Go balls out or go home?" Eric suggested.

She nodded and said, "Exactly."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Eric took another drink of water.

"If all I get with you for the rest of my life is a couple more weeks or months, I want them to mean as much to me as they can. So yeah, it's what I want." Sookie didn't want to think about the future, and the fact that he wouldn't be in it. She only wanted to think about the here and now because that's where he was.

"So you're okay with the ticking clock hanging over our heads?"

"No." Sookie laughed. "No, I'm not okay with that, but like you said, life's not always fair."

"No, it isn't." He agreed.

They were silent after that, having reached their agreement. They ate quietly, taking as much time as they could before Eric finally stood up to take their plates to the kitchen. He cleaned up the small mess from their dinner before returning to the couch.

"We're going to be serving a search warrant on Victor's apartment tomorrow. I just wanted you to know that." Eric informed her.

"I don't know what you'll find. I'm sure he's had people moving things since he realized I was gone." Sookie ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm not too worried about that. The place has been under surveillance for a while. I just didn't know it until today."

Sookie took a deep breath and said, "There's something I need to tell you. I don't want you to find out from someone else."

The look on her face was serious, and it made Eric's heart thud in his chest. He waited patiently while Sookie figured out how to tell him whatever it was she had to say.

* * *

_October 1996_

Sookie leaned against Eric with her eyes closed. It was after midnight. Normally by then they would be home and in their own rooms getting ready for bed. Since it was a special occasion their curfew had been extended until two. After stuffing themselves silly on tater tots and cherry limeade, they ended up parked out by an abandoned house over in Ruston where they were sure no one was going to spot them. The last thing they needed was someone surprising them when all they wanted was to be alone. Just going back to school on Monday was going to be hard enough for Sookie.

Halloween was in a few weeks. There would be parties, of course, but they were more interested in spending the time by themselves. The truth was, they would be happy to be cast off on some deserted island somewhere. Sookie would be perfectly content to spend the night watching scary movies and snacking on taffy apples or trick or treat candy. They didn't get many trick or treaters out their way since their house was set back into the woods.

"We could play hide and seek in the graveyard." Eric suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Uh, no, thanks." Sookie dismissed him with a laugh.

"Are you scared, Sookie?" He teased her.

"Don't you think it's a little disrespectful to play games on a person's final resting place?" She pointed out.

"They're dead, Sookie. Do you really think they care?" He countered.

"Hey, if you want to go play in a cemetery, I'm not gonna stop you. I guess I'll just stay home by myself. Maybe I'll ask John Quinn to come sit with me while I watch scary movies." She suggested, getting her one of those sexy growls from Eric.

The next thing she knew she was pinned under him on the front seat of the truck. Her heart was in her throat, but it was a good feeling. There was jealousy in Eric's eyes. If Eric had a rival, it was John Quinn. That asshole had asked Sookie out more times than anyone could count, and had one hell of a time taking her seriously when she turned him down. Even the public declaration that she was off the market and dating Eric hadn't been enough to get Quinn to back down. Sookie joked about the whole thing since it was so ridiculous, but Eric didn't see anything funny about it.

"Do you really want Quinn's paws all over you?" Eric looked deep into her eyes.

She shifted underneath him, moving her pelvis against his, rubbing up against him just right. "What do you think?"

Eric looked down at her body, her chest heaving with each breath she took. Her breasts were barely contained in her dress. "I think I want to rip that dress right off you." He admitted, which made her blush.

"Do you?" She asked breathlessly.

"Oh, yes," he nodded, then dipped his head to inhale her scent. God, she smelled good.

"Then what?" She asked weakly.

He smiled against the pulse point on her neck before dropping a few kisses there. "Should I tell you, or show you?"

She whimpered under him. Knowing they had condoms in her purse was making it very difficult to remember the reasons why it was too soon. Yes, they knew each other about as well as they were going to. And yes, she cared for him deeply. Maybe she loved him, but she wasn't sure. Well, no, she was sure she loved him as a friend. She just wasn't sure if she was really _in_ love with him. She didn't want it to be just some silly hormonal rush that turned out to be a passing fancy.

If they were to break up before they had sex, the chances of them being able to go back to the way they were before were much higher. Sex would change all of that, though. She wanted to believe they would be mature enough to salvage their friendship if they weren't sexually compatible, but there were no guarantees. It was a big decision, and since she wasn't sure about it, it was best not to act on it until she was.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything." Eric started to pull away, but Sookie pulled him back.

"You know why I'm not ready, right? It's not about you." She reminded him.

"I know." He kissed her forehead.

"And you know when I am, you're going to be the first person I tell, right?"

"I better be." Eric nipped at her neck.

Sookie giggled and said, "Well, unless you're out in the cemetery. Then I'll call Quinn."

"Watch it, woman." He rubbed his hips against hers as their lips met.

She moaned into his mouth as they kissed, her fingers reaching up to tangle in his hair. They moved around the cab of the truck until Sookie was situated in Eric's lap. They weren't having sex yet, but they were finding plenty of other ways to make sure they were satisfied with each other. They'd managed to keep most of their clothes on while making out, but Sookie reached behind her and started to lower the zipper on her dress. She wasn't going to take it all the way off, but she figured it was time to move things up a little.

The top part of her dress came down when she tugged at it, and Eric's hands immediately cupped her chest. Ever since she'd given him access to her breasts, he'd become very attentive to them. Though he had yet to actually see them. She reached behind her a second time and unhooked the aqua lace that had been keeping the girls perky all night, not that they needed much help in that department. Eric would never complain about the size of her breasts, but for her sake, she hoped she was done growing soon. By her estimations, they were more than big enough.

She pulled back and watched his face as she peeled away the lace and dropped it on the seat next to them. She would have bitten her lip nervously if Eric's eyes wouldn't have widened with delight, almost as if to say, "Jackpot." He looked up at her, silently asking for her permission before touching them again. She gave him what she hoped was a sultry smile, grabbed his hands and put them on her body. He growled again, and that was the end of the uncertainty.

For Eric's part, as excited as he was, he was also a little scared. He didn't know what he was doing, and he didn't want to fuck it up. Not just because he wanted to make sure this wasn't the last time he got to touch her, but because he didn't want to disappoint her. He knew she was aware that he was just as new to all of this as he was, so he hoped her expectations weren't too high.

He'd paid attention to the conversations she had with her friends. Claudine, in particular, didn't seem to mind letting every guy she dated feel her up. Eric knew better than to go after Sookie's boobs like they were squeeze toys, and twisting like he was tuning a radio was definitely a no-no. So, he stuck to the same things he'd done in the past before he'd seen her bare skin, only now he could add his mouth to the mix.

The second his tongue touched the firm, sensitive tip of her breast, she gasped. His eyes looked up to hers to make sure it was still okay. She gave a small nod, and he continued. What he wasn't expecting was a reward for his efforts, and it came in the form of Sookie rocking her hips against his. Then it was his turn to freeze. It had happened a time or two in the past, but it the movement was more like a reflex. This time, it was deliberate. It was also sexy as hell.

When Eric was finally able to take his mouth away from what he was convinced was a magnetic pull in Sookie's breasts, his lips landed on hers. She'd found a gentle rocking rhythm that had both of them panting, grunting and searching for more. It wasn't sex, but if sex felt anywhere near as good as what she was already doing dead, he was pretty sure he was going to die just a little whenever they finally had sex.

"Fuck, Sookie, don't stop." He grunted when she stilled for just a moment.

She giggled against his neck, but started again, only going at it a little harder. There was a part of her that was a little freaked out by how big the bulge in his pants was. Her mind flashed back to what she'd seen that time she'd walked in on him coming out of the shower a few months before. She groaned involuntarily at the thought. Part of what was so embarrassing to her earlier in the night were the questions of how big Eric was, and her blush had deepened when she realized she knew the answer to that question. Only now she was experiencing that size in another way, and it was doing crazy things to her.

Her entire body felt flushed and alive, and there was a little voice in her head screaming at her to get one of those condoms and just get it over with already. But no, she wouldn't do that. Her first time- _their_ first time- wasn't going to be in the front seat of her father's pick up truck. And it certainly wasn't going to be before she was sure she was in love with him. She wasn't a stickler on waiting for marriage. She wasn't going to be one of those silly girls who got married just so she could have sex (yes, she actually knew girls who had done that). The concept of waiting for marriage was sweet, but it was old fashioned.

While it wasn't everything, sex was a big enough part of a relationship that she thought it was important to know what she was getting into. If they didn't like the same things, they were going to be miserable when it came to the sexual part of their relationship, and she wanted to be with someone who was as into her as she was into him. While she was pretty sure she had that with Eric, she wouldn't know for absolutely sure until they'd done it. But there was no rush.

There was, however, urgency, and it had his hips thrusting up to meet hers. His hands clamped on her hips to make sure they kept contact as they ground against each other. It was the closest Sookie had ever come to feeling like she was floating up out of her body. When Eric's mouth found that special spot under her ear, she completely lost herself. She exploded from the inside. Muscles she didn't know she had started to contract and squeeze, sending tingles through her body.

_Did I just have an orgasm?_, she wondered to herself as she fought to breathe normally. A few seconds later Eric gave his own little shout as he body jerked underneath hers. She felt something warm and wet against her thigh, and she knew that whatever it was she'd just felt, so had he. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the side of his face.

"That was..." Eric was speechless, and Sookie knew all too well how he felt right then.

"Yeah that was..." She couldn't find the words either.

Their eyes met and both of them were grinning like idiots. A little aftershock ripple through her, making her shiver. "Are you okay?" Eric asked sweetly, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked before kissing his bottom lip. "I am _so_ much better than okay."

He laughed quietly before grabbing her bra off the seat of the truck and handing it to her. "Need some help with that?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"You're offering to help me cover my boobs?" Sookie looked at him sideways.

"Well, I don't think taking you home topless is a good idea, as much as I would love to." Eric teased as Sookie pressed the lace to her body.

Without waiting for her answer, he reached behind her and hooked the material in place. She pulled the top of her dress back into place, and Eric zipped it for her. She kissed him once more before sliding off his lap and tucking herself into his side. She laughed when she saw how fogged up the windows in the truck were.

"Well, anyone who walks by won't have to ask what we were up to, will they?" She giggled and tilted her face up toward his.

"Probably not." He bent to kiss her.

"You still owe me a slow dance, mister." Sookie sat forward and turned the dial on the radio until she found a slow song. She burst out laughing. "Oh, look, baby, it's Shania!"

Eric groaned next to her. He really didn't like country music. At all. But the pout on her face was reason enough to open the door of the truck. He turned on the headlights, and stepped out of the truck. He reached inside for Sookie's hand and helped her down. She reached inside to turn up the volume so they could hear it from where they were standing a few feet in front of the truck while they danced.

She tucked herself perfectly into his arms, the two of them swaying slowly with the music. He wanted to tell her he loved her. It seemed stupid to wait. He didn't need her to say it back. He just wanted her to know how he felt. But every time he opened his mouth to say it, the words just wouldn't come. So he pushed it back, knowing that when the time was right, he would say it.

It was only a matter of time.

* * *

Gah! These two are just the cutest, aren't they? The next chapter is shaping up to be just flashback, but we'll see what the muses decide. They call the shots. I'm experiencing some laptop fuckery (damn thing overheated earlier), so I have to be careful about how long I worked before giving the computer a rest. The good news is, I'm about half way through the chapter, so at the latest, you should have it by Monday. Thanks for reading!


	9. I Love You

Sorry for the delay! This chapter was actually done on Sunday. I know, I know, shame on me for withholding it for 2 whole days. I'm a bad hostess.

I just do what the muses tell me, and they demanded an entire chapter's worth of flashback. They almost got it, and then I snuck in just a little bit of the present day at the very end. In order for current day emotions and things to make sense, there will probably be a few chapters that require me to dip into their past. But, once more of that is revealed, we'll probably get a few chapters that are strictly present day. It just depends on what the muses tell me to do. They're picky bitches. I really am at their mercy. Remember, this story has its sad and angsty moments, so keep that in mind when you're reading. For those of you angst babies out there *cough* **kjwrit** *cough* most of this chapter isn't going to be much fun for you. Enjoy.

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Chapter 9: I Love You

_October 1996_

Sookie twisted and turned her body, looking at her reflection in the mirror at every angle she could. She hated shopping for Halloween costumes, but she refused to be one of those girls who used the holiday as an excuse to dress up like a whore. Honestly, had anyone ever really looked at a kitten and thought, "Damn, you're sexy." She didn't think so.

"What's Eric going as? You two should do a couples thing." Claudine suggested as she appeared from a dressing room in a Tinkerbell costume.

Sookie laughed and said, "No way in hell is Eric going to do couples costume with me."

"That boy would do anything for you." Tara pointed out.

"Well, I won't even ask him. The fact that he's even going to this party is enough for me." Sookie was well aware of how he would prefer to spend the holiday. It had less to do with watching their friends get drunk on spiked punch and more to do with an abandoned house over in Ruston.

"You two are like an old married couple." Claudine shook her head as she scrutinized her appearance in the mirror next to Sookie.

"Why? Because I don't climb him like a jungle gym where everyone can see it?" Sookie chose her words with purpose, getting her arched eyebrows from her closest girlfriends.

"Does this mean you slide down his fire pole in private?" Tara winked at me.

"First of all, that's none of your business. Second of all, that's none of your business." Sookie replied with a wink of her own.

"Does it get weird that y'all live together?" Claudine asked with a thoughtful expression on her face. "I mean, I know I'd freak out of Coleman saw me first thing in the morning."

"Claudine, Eric's seen me puke my guts out when I had the flu. I think he can handle my bedhead and caffeine withdrawn stupor." Sookie stepped away from the mirror, having decided her Alice in Wonderland costume wasn't going to work.

"Well, God bless ya, because I don't think I could do it." Claudine shook her head.

"Then how in the hell are you ever going to get married?" Tara pointed out. "The only way a woman wakes up looking all glamorous is on TV."

Sookie let the two of them continue to bicker it out while she browsed through the racks of costumes. She didn't find anything appealing, and the more she thought about it, the more she thought maybe spending the evening in Ruston wasn't such a bad idea after all. Besides, Eric had been weird since the homecoming dance a few weeks before. He was jittery and tense, and doing his best to act like everything was fine. It was a clear indicator that everything wasn't fine.

Claudine ended up picking a Wonder Woman costume, while Tara opted for Rizzo from Grease. By the time Claudine dropped Sookie off at home she'd had plenty of time to get herself all worked up over what was going on with Eric. She'd tried to reason that he would talk to her about whatever was bothering him when he was good and ready, but so far he hadn't said anything to clue her in to what was wrong. She didn't want to crowd him, but she hated being left out. He'd always talked to her in the past.

_Maybe he's breaking up with you, dummy_, she thought to herself as she walked up the front steps. The realization made her stop breathing. She didn't want to think that's what was going on. While communication had been off, everything else had been spot on with them. They were still having as much fun together as they ever had when they went out. The making out had only gotten better and more intense since the dance. There was enough chemistry between them for an atom bomb. But none of that mattered if Eric didn't want to be in a relationship with her anymore.

She took a few minutes to collect herself before going inside. Michelle was in the kitchen making dinner. Eric was nowhere to be seen. Usually he'd be in the living room doing his homework. She craned her neck to see if his bedroom light was on, and felt her heart flutter when she saw that it was. She thought about going to talk to him, but she needed to think things through a little more. No way was she going to waltz in there and accuse him of wanting to break up with her until she had some sort of concrete evidence that's what he was thinking of doing.

She got half way upstairs to her bedroom when she turned around and went back down. Talking to her Mom about Eric had been awkward for a little while after Michelle caught them on the couch together. That wasn't the way either Sookie or Eric wanted their parents to find out what was going on between them. The only good thing about it was that it had been Michelle who caught them and not Corbett. It also saved them from having to figure out what the right words were to say, since it didn't seem right to just blurt it out.

Sookie edged into the kitchen slowly, trying to figure out a way to disguise her problem so her Mom wouldn't go sticking her nose in any further than Sookie was comfortable with. Frankly, she was still pissed off at Michelle for the condom fiasco. Saturday morning she'd made a point to bring them down with her and give them back to her mother.

"I think you left these in my purse." Sookie had said in a bitter tone that let Michelle know what she'd done wasn't appreciated. If Sookie didn't know any better, she might think her Mom _wanted_ her to have sex with Eric.

"Hey, baby, I didn't hear you come in." Michelle smiled up from the pot of potatoes boiling in front of her.

"I just got in a few minutes ago." Sookie stood next to the stove. "Need any help?"

"No, I got it under control. How was school?"

Sookie shrugged and said, "It was fine. I got my chemistry test back. I got a B+."

"That's great, sweetie." Michelle smiled over at her daughter, but her smile fell when she noted the look on Sookie's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Sookie said.

"Did I raise you to be a liar?" Michelle asked with a nudge of her hip against Sookie's.

Sookie took a deep breath and said, "I'm just thinking about some stuff, that's all."

"Well, maybe if you talk about it, it'll help you figure out whatever's bothering you." Michelle suggested.

The kitchen went quiet, with the exception of boiling water and the distant sound of rock music playing in Eric's bedroom. "A friend of mine is worried her boyfriend might be breaking up with her." Sookie revealed after a few minutes of quiet.

"Why does she think that?"

"Well, normally he's outgoing and fun to be around, and lately he's been moody and withdrawn."

"Has he said anything to make her think he doesn't want her around anymore?" Michelle asked innocently.

"No, but my friend said he's just been closed off, and he never has been until recently. He's just not being himself around her."

"I see. And your friend, how does she feel about her boyfriend? Does she want to break up with him?"

"No!" Sookie said a little too quickly, and she noticed her mother's smile out of the corner of her eye. "No, she cares about her boyfriend a lot. She doesn't want to lose him, but she doesn't want to kick a sleeping dragon, either."

"How long have they been together?" Michelle asked as she reached for a knife to start slicing up carrots.

"Only a couple of months, but you know how it is around here. They've known each other for pretty much their whole lives."

Michelle snickered and said, "Yeah, it's pretty hard to find fresh blood in this town."

"So she's not sure what to do. Should she say something and maybe open a can of worms she doesn't really want to deal with, or should she just wait it out and see what's what?" Sookie asked.

Michelle took a deep breath and turned to Sookie with sympathy in her eyes. "Does your friend love her boyfriend?"

Sookie thought about it for a moment. It wasn't that she hadn't considered whether or not she loved Eric, because frankly, it was hard to remember a time when she didn't love him. He was such a big part of her life that the idea of him not being a part of it anymore wasn't something she was even willing to consider. If Eric and Sookie broke up, it wouldn't be like your average break up.

"I don't know." Sookie answered, only because she didn't want to put it out there that she did on the chance that things with Eric were ending.

"Is there anything else going on with her boyfriend that he might be stressed out about? Boys can be real clueless sometimes when it comes to emotional things. Maybe he doesn't even realize he's shutting her out. If it were me, I'd talk to him and see what he has to say. If the two of them care about each other, then they'll find a way to talk it out." Michelle advised.

"And if he wants to break up with her?" Sookie tried to keep her voice even.

Michelle put her arm around Sookie's shoulders and hugged her a little. "Then at least she'll know where she stands with him."

Sookie nodded and bit her bottom lip in attempts to keep from crying, but that didn't work out. She ended up sinking against her mother, who did her best to soothe Sookie. Michelle looked up to see Eric walk into the room, and stop short with a distressed look on his face. He hated it when Sookie cried. Michelle cleared her throat and pulled away from Sookie a little.

"I have some laundry that needs starting." She said as cheerfully as she could before leaving the room.

Sookie sniffled and wiped her face. "Hey."

"What's going on?" Eric came to stand next to her.

Sookie sighed heavily and tried to keep her emotions in check. "I need to talk to you about some stuff. Are you busy after dinner?"

"We could take a walk now, if you want?" Eric offered.

"No, after dinner. I need to get myself together a little." Sookie kept her eyes on the floor, unable to look into his on the chance she was going to see something there she didn't want to see.

"Alright. After dinner, then." He leaned over and kissed her temple before leaving the kitchen.

Sookie sagged against the counter, unsure of what to do with herself.

o.O.o.O.o

Two hours later Sookie and Eric were in Corbett's truck, parked out in the middle of nowhere. Garth Brooks was on the radio, but neither of them were paying much attention to the music. Sookie nibbled on the tip of her thumb as she stared out the window, watching the rustling of the leaves in the trees nearby. There was enough tension in the truck for a lifetime, but she wasn't sure where to start.

All through dinner she'd been silent, debating about the best way to approach all of this. She was usually the type to come right out with things. She was a girl who ripped the band-aid off in one pull, just to get it over with. She never saw the sense in prolonging the inevitable pain. This time it was different. It wasn't just her pain on the line.

Eric was just about to speak when Sookie asked, "Are you mad at me?"

Eric faltered for a moment. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Do you want to break up with me?" Sookie countered, unsatisfied with the answer to her first question.

"What? No! Sookie..." Eric sputter, completely confused by Sookie's line of questioning.

"Then why are you being so weird? Every time I try to talk to you lately, you get all clammed up. You're all shifty and acting like you're trying to avoid me. I know you, Eric, and the way you've been lately isn't you. So if you want to break up with me, I wish you'd just say so."

"Sookie, I don't want want to break up with you." Eric reached for her hand, but she was reluctant to give it to him. She was also crying. _Fuck! I hate it when she does that!_, he silently berated himself for being the reason she was so upset. "Sookie, look at me."

She kept her face aimed at the window, forcing Eric to slide across the leather bench seat of the truck until he was right next to her. He gently turned her face toward his with the tips of his fingers. She wouldn't meet his eyes. He wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"I don't want to break up with you." He kissed her cheeks softly, trying to coax her from her melancholy. "I'm sorry I've been a dick lately. I swear, it's not because of something you did. It's my fault, okay? You didn't do anything wrong."

"So then what's the problem, Eric? You used to be able to tell me everything. Even the really bad stuff." Her eyes went to the scar so close to his temple. Her small hand reached up to touch it, and his head nuzzled against it.

"This is big." Eric admitted as his eyes locked on hers.

"If you tell me you're pregnant..." Sookie cracked a joke because she couldn't help it, and because she had to do something to cut the tension between them.

Eric laughed quietly, which got her to smile. "Uh, no, definitely not." He pressed his forehead to hers and pulled her into his lap. The fact that she came willingly made him relax.

"Okay, now can we be normal with each other?" She let her head fall onto his shoulder and his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"There _is_ something I have to to tell you, and it's the reason I've been such a freak for the last couple of weeks." Eric confessed.

"I knew it. You're knocked up." Sookie giggled, but quickly sobered when she looked up to see the serious expression on Eric's face. She shifted in his lap so they were face to face. "Alright, lay it on me."

She hadn't meant for him to kiss her, but that was exactly what he did. It was a deep kiss full of all sorts of emotions. It felt like he was making her a promise, only she had no idea what he was promising her. When she broke the kiss off so she could breathe, she left her hands resting on his chest. His heart was beating wildly under her palm.

"I don't know why it's so hard to say this. I've been screaming it at you in my head for weeks now." Eric mumbled.

"Eric, what are you talking about?" Sookie searched his eyes. They were cast down, staring her hands on his chest. "Eric, look at me."

He lifted his head and brought his eyes to hers. "I love you."

There it was. Sookie's breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened. Was that it? Was that what had him all twisted up and acting like a pod person?

"I love you, too." She said the words right back without realizing she was doing it, and she was sublimely happy to find it didn't feel weird to say it. In fact, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

They sat there staring at one another, disbelieving smiles on their faces. Each of them thinking to themselves, _did we really just say that?_

"Would you say that again?" Eric asked her, making her giggle.

"I love you, too." She repeated it, the poked him pointedly in the chest.

"I love you." He said immediately.

She lurched forward to kiss him sweetly, and pulled back to whisper against his lips, "I really, really love you."

His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her closer, while hers closed around his neck. They sat there holding onto each other for the longest time without saying a word. Sookie was the first to pull back with a nervous look in her eyes.

"Just so we're clear, that was the big thing you had to tell me, right? You're going to start being normal again?"

Eric laughed and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "You want me to be normal? Since when?"

She slugged him playfully. "I mean normal for you, jerk."

"You say the sweetest things to me, my love." He kissed the tip of her nose. Hearing him call her that did wonderful things to her insides.

_God, I'm such a girl_, she rolled her eyes internally.

"Yeah, yeah, answer my question." She pressed against him.

"Yeah, I'll be normal." He promised her.

"Good. Now kiss me like you mean it." She barely got the words out before his lips were on hers.

* * *

_Present Day_

Eric sat quietly, waiting for Sookie to tell him whatever it was she felt she had to tell him. She had just opened her mouth to speak when the sound of his phone ringing killed the silence. He groaned, while Sookie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Whatever she was hiding couldn't be good.

"I have to get that." Eric grumbled before getting off the couch. Whomever was calling him after midnight better have something really fucking important to say, or heads would roll later. "What?" He barked once the phone was open.

"I just got a call from Thalia." Pam groused on her end of the line.

"So?"

"So she thinks she may know where the leak sprang from. You're not going to be happy." Pam warned.

"No shit, Pam." It amazed him how she could be the queen of stating the obvious one minute, and lightning quick the next. "Are you going to tell me, or do you just like calling me late at night to piss me off?"

"Well, if you think you can pull yourself away from where you are, we should have a face to face on this. It's a big one."

Eric shook his head, but grabbed his pants. "Meet me at my place in fifteen."

"How sweet. Just enough time for a goodnight quickie." Pam quipped.

Eric growled, but said nothing else before hanging up. "I have to go." He told Sookie as he got dressed.

"I see that." She got off the couch.

"I really want to hear what you have to tell me, but-"

"Eric, it's okay. I understand." She handed him his tie, which he just stuffed in his pocket. "When will I see you again?"

This was the part he hated. "Honestly, I don't know. Probably not until next week."

Sookie looked away to try and hide the sadness in her eyes. "Okay."

"It's not because I don't want to see you sooner." Eric assured her.

"I know. You have your work."

He turned her face to his and said, "It's not just that. I _do_ have a trial starting in the next few days, but I also have things to do in regards to the Madden case. I promise to call you every day, even if it's just for a few minutes."

Sookie nodded sadly, getting angry at herself for making him feel guilty. "Don't look at me like that, okay? I knew what was I was getting into when I said I wanted it all."

"I just hate seeing you like that." Eric countered. She was always going to be his weakness, whether he liked it or not. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.

"So, I'll see you soon?" She tried to look hopeful.

He bent down to kiss her softly, but couldn't resist deepening the kiss when she licked his lip. He felt himself starting to get pulled away from reality, and had no choice but to pull back. It was far too easy to get lost in her and forget the rest of the world.

He exhaled slowly and said, "I'll call you tomorrow. We'll figure something out."

She kissed him once more, then led him to the door. "Goodnight, Eric."

"Goodnight, Sookie." He squeezed her hand, then opened the door to go.

No sooner did she have the door locked, than she was leaning against it. Just as she knew she would, she slid to the ground and began to sob.

* * *

I get asked all the time in reviews if these two are going to be together in the end. If you've read my work, you know I'm a fan of the happy ending. However, given this particular story...well... it's hard to say. I'm pretty sure I know the ending, which I didn't when I started this, since it's different from what I had planned for the original one shot idea I had. In that version, there was a happily ever after, but there are a whole lot of things I had to change to make this a multi-chapter story. So all I can say is stay tuned, and enjoy the ride.

For those reading HFT, I'm working on the wedding chapter, and it's kicking my ass. I posted my entry for the I Write the Songs Contest. It's called "Thinking of You" and is based on the Katy Perry song of the same name. I will also be posting a new one shot in the next week called "Ten Years Gone" that I wrote for **TVGirlSVM**. It was supposed to be done months ago. She made a generous donation to the Support Stacie all Vampire Auction earlier this year, and I am finally making good on my end of the bargain. So, keep your eyes open for that. That's all for now. Thanks for reading, kiddos!


	10. Wedding Dress

I am so, so sorry for the delay on this! As most of you know, I've been a busy girl, but I swear I haven't forgotten about this story. This chapter has been in my head for a while. Unfortunately, the words don't always come to me. **Slacker Dee** informs me she was all sorts of weepy when she was done with this chapter, so get your tissues. It's an angsty one. I'll try to get back to happier times next chapter. Perhaps a chapter of all fluff flashback is in order? Hmmmm...I'll consider it.

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Chapter 10: Wedding Dress

Eric stood in the kitchen of the high rise condo, watching as just about everything was tagged and bagged to be taken into evidence. Usually he wouldn't bother to go along when a search warrant was being served, but this case was too big to fuck up on some stupid chain of custody violation. Not to mention, he didn't exactly trust the lead detective in the case after what he'd learned from Pam last night.

Thalia got to talking with Portia Bellefleur, an ADA over in violent crimes down in Baton Rouge, where Thalia had gone through the academy. It turned out Portia was Andy Bellefleur's cousin. Andy was the lead detective on the Madden case. He had also been investigated by Internal Affairs for various reasons, and several of the "confessions" he'd gotten out of suspects were questionable. He was a loose cannon, as far as Eric was concerned, and he hated prosecuting cases that had been assigned to Bellefleur. Andy had also grown up with Victor Madden. The guy was a disaster.

Thankfully, Pam was watching Bellefleur like a hawk in the home office where he was collecting papers and the computer stuff to make sure he didn't inadvertently damage any crucial evidence. Eric walked back toward the bedrooms, not expecting there would be a whole hell of a lot to be taken into evidence there.

"Find anything worthwhile in here?" Eric asked from the doorway.

"Just an address book in the nightstand, but the handwriting appears to be feminine." The officer shrugged and handed it over to Eric.

Yes, it was Sookie's handwriting. "This is Sookie's."

The officer furrowed his brows, but bagged the address book. "How'd you know that?"

"From reading her notes." Eric said smoothly, trying to cover his blunder. It was a believable excuse.

The officer didn't ask any other questions. Another officer was combing through the walk-in closet, searching for false bottoms in drawers and trap doors in the walls or the floor.

"Finding anything in here?" Eric asked.

"Just this." A female officer hefted a garment bag from the shelf.

"What is it?" It looked big enough to have a body in it.

The officer unzipped the bag and yard after yard of white fabric with crystals and pearls came spilling out. "Appears to be a wedding dress."

A wedding dress? What the hell was Sookie doing with a _wedding dress_? She wasn't really planning to marry Victor, was she? Eric was stunned, to say the least. He stared at the dress with disbelief. The Sookie he knew would never date a guy like Victor, much less marry him. But there was evidence it had been in the works.

"Excuse me." Eric said and stormed out of the apartment. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and scrolled for Sookie's number. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you. How'd things go with the search warrant?" She asked a little too cheerfully for Eric's liking.

"You were going to marry Victor. You wouldn't marry _me_, but you were going to marry Victor fucking Madden? What the hell happened to you, Sookie?" Eric shouted into the phone.

* * *

_July 2003_

Eric sat at the foot of his bed, staring at the ring in his hand. It was a gorgeous ring. The second he saw it in the shop window, he knew it belonged on Sookie's finger. They'd talked about marriage more times than he could count. Really, he already considered her his wife. Hell, was there a time when they didn't belong to each other? From the minute they met there was a connection. She just always got him.

When he heard her key in the lock, he quickly closed the box and scrambled to get it hidden in the dresser somewhere until he could find a better hiding place. The plan had been to wait until after college, but Eric figured it made more sense to ask her when the time was right. He thought maybe spotting _the ring_ was an omen of sorts. If they were serious about getting married, why did it matter when they did it?

"Eric, are you here?" Sookie called out.

"Yep, back here!" Eric tried to sound normal as he stuffed the box into the back of his sock drawer.

"What'cha doin'?" Sookie asked when she walked into the room.

"Uh, putting away some laundry." Eric was obviously flustered.

"Laundry, huh?" Sookie eyed the full hamper.

"You left early this morning." Eric quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, yeah, I uh, I went riding with Campbell." She reminded him.

Campbell was Eric's next door neighbor. Her father owned a ranch in a tiny town just over the border in Georgia, about twenty miles outside of Chattanooga where Eric was going to college. Campbell was studying to be a veterinarian. Having grown up on a ranch, she had a big place in her heart of animals and when Sookie had learned Campbell was an avid rider, the two of them had become good friends.

"Sounds like fun." Eric smiled.

"It was." Sookie nodded.

There was definite awkwardness between them. She knew he was hiding something and he knew she was, too. Eric moved to go to the kitchen to get something to eat while Sookie headed off to the shower.

* * *

_Present Day_

Sookie held the phone to her ear, the tone of Eric's voice suffocating her. She wanted to explain, to find the words, but they wouldn't come. How could she really tell him what it was like being with someone like Victor? It felt almost like a cheap shot to compare it to what he'd been through with his father, but in a lot of ways, that was precisely what it was like. Of course, the major difference was Sookie had a choice.

She'd been offered help but countless friends and she'd turned them down each time. Not because she was so madly in love with Victor she couldn't imagine a life without him, but to protect them. He'd threatened to go after anyone who helped her get out. What she couldn't understand was his obsession with her. She'd blindly mistaken it for love and by the time realized she was wrong, it was too late. She was in too deep. She'd burned too many bridges.

And now here was Eric. He had every right to be upset. She tried to suck air into her lungs but she couldn't feel it saturating her body. All she felt was Eric's disappointment, rage and confusion as he shouted at her.

"Eric-" She gasped for air on the verge of a small breakdown.

"Why wasn't it me, Sookie? Just tell me that. After all of our planning and all the things we said we wanted, why wasn't it me?"

"Because you wouldn't be where you are now if we would have gotten married and you know it." Sookie managed to string the words along.

"You don't know that."

"And you don't know that I'm wrong." She argued.

"This is bullshit. I feel like I don't know you at all, Sookie. I don't understand this."

"Come by later and I'll tell you everything." Sookie urged.

"I can't. I have to go through all the shit we're cataloging here. I have witness prep to do tomorrow and my trial starts the day after that."

"I don't want to say this over the phone, Eric. If you can't come to me, then I'll come to you."

"You can't, it's too dangerous."

"Eric, if that bastard is going to kill me do you really think Alcide being posted outside my door is going to stop him? No, it's not. You choose. Do I come to you, or are you coming to me?"

Eric sighed heavily and said, "I'll call you later." Then he hung up.

Sookie pushed the button to end the call and dropped her phone on the counter. She felt completely drained and sank into a nearby chair. This was not at all working out like she hoped it would.

* * *

_July 2003_

Sookie walked into the apartment with a laundry basket on her hip. Eric was off shooting hoops with a couple of his buddies. It was so disgustingly hot outside she couldn't imagine they weren't all keeling over from dehydration and heat stroke. No doubt Eric would come back dripping sweat and in need of something to drink. She put a couple of bottles of Gatorade into the freezer for him so they would be nice and cold when he got back.

August would be arriving soon. The hottest month of the summer. July was a nice pre-show to what was in store for them. She dumped the dried clothes on the bed and began to fold things, starting with t-shirts and pants. Underwear came next and socks were last. Two weeks had passed since her "riding date" with Campbell. They'd stopped at the ranch briefly, but only long enough for Campbell to check on a mare that was recovering from some sort of infection. Sookie spent just enough time in the stable to get the smell of horse on her.

Before that, Campbell had accompanied her to a doctor's appointment on campus where free pregnancy tests were taken. Sookie had given her blood sample and Campbell's phone number as her contact. It took a week to get the results back, but they were more reliable than what she would have gotten from a home test. Campbell had taken a message for Sookie and when she called back the next day, she learned she was pregnant.

She suspected as much, and even knew when it had happened. She'd come to see Eric over spring break. They'd had unprotected sex on the kitchen floor. She'd been sick two weeks before the trip and had just finished her medication for it. The medication had rendered her birth control pills useless. She'd been so busy in April with preparing for finals she hadn't noticed she had skipped her period. Then in May, she was so stressed out over finishing the year and packing her thing for the summer, she figured it was just her body reacting.

But then when it didn't come again in June and her breasts got bigger, she started to wonder. By her twenty-first birthday at the start of the month, she was sure something wasn't right. She'd gained a good ten pounds even though she was eating better and definitely getting more exercise than she did during the school year. With Campbell's support, she decided to bite the bullet and go get a test done. She didn't want to say anything to Eric if she didn't have to. She knew what his reaction would be, and she didn't want that.

She gathered up the laundry to put it all away. Shirts in the shirt drawer. Pants with the pants. Underwear with the underwear. Socks with the...jewelry boxes? What the hell? Sookie's finger brushed against the velvet box and she stopped. She pulled the little black box from the drawer and just stared at it. Without even opening it she was sure of what was inside. Knowing Eric, it was a white gold band with a perfect round cut diamond.

She dropped the socks on the floor and staggered back to the bed with the box in her hand. Her lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears. She'd wanted to marry him since she was sixteen. He was her future. Everything she ever wanted, she wanted him right next to her when she got it. He was the one she wanted to share everything with.

But she wanted him to have what he wanted. He wanted law school. He wanted to put away criminals, whether or not he would admit it was his way of reconciling his past. She wanted those things for him. He had fought so hard to get where he was. He was too amazing to let go of it all because they were careless. It wasn't right.

She stared at the box for God knows how long before Eric finally came home. She was still sitting on the edge of the bed when he walked into the bedroom. He stopped in the doorway when he realized she was holding the ring box.

"I guess you found me out." He smirked and pulled off his t-shirt.

"How long have you had this?" Sookie asked him.

"A couple of weeks. I saw it and...did you open it?"

"No. No, I don't want to see it." She shook her head and put the box down on the bed.

"Sookie-"

"I'm pregnant, Eric." She blurted out.

* * *

_Present Day_

Eric sat behind his desk, typing away at an email when Pam walked into his office and sat down. "She was going to marry Madden?"

"You saw the dress." Eric didn't look away from the computer screen.

"It was a lovely dress. A little over-the-top for my tastes." Pam shrugged.

"Is there a point to your visit, Pam, or do you just enjoy rubbing salt in wounds?"

"Normally I enjoy seeing you squirm a little. It makes you a more effective prosecutor because you battle that much harder for the win."

"And this time?"

"This time it's taking your head out of the game and we can't afford a fuck up because you're still in love with our star witness. You know Niall will pull you off of this case if he finds out, and if Burnham gets wind of this, he's going to want to throw the whole thing out for prosecutorial misconduct." Pam reminded with an edge to her voice. "You need to decide what's more important to you, Eric. Do you want the win, or the girl?"

Eric sat back in his chair and rubbed his face. Fuck, this was more complicated than he wanted. He wanted to argue that he always got his way, only this time, he wasn't so sure that was possible. He'd been after Madden for years, ever since the file had landed on his desk. But Sookie...he'd wanted her since he was just a little boy, before he ever knew what a prosecutor was.

Had that changed? Was she still the thing he wanted most in the world? He shook his head, not willing to think about it just yet. The answer to that question had potential to turn his life inside out, and it was already upside down. The nasty truth was, he loved Sookie and he always would. He could admit that much, if only to himself and to her.

"Did you watch everything be put into storage? That Bellefleur idiot could ruin everything." Eric said.

"If that's your way of answering my question..."

"God, you're a pain in the ass." Eric rolled his eyes.

"And you're being sloppy." Pam snapped at him. "It's not just your ass on the line here, Eric, so get your shit together and stop thinking with your dick."

With that, Pam stormed out. She was right, and what worse was he knew it. His cell phone sat on the desk, taunting him. He picked it up and dialed Sookie's number again.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." That was all he said before he hung up.

It was time to settle some things.

* * *

_August 2003_

Sookie lay curled on her side, her eyes vacant and fixed on the wall in front of her. She'd been in bed for three days. She and Eric and barely spoken to one another. There was too much anger, resentment and guilt between them. The ache in her lower belly was a constant reminder of what happened. There would be no baby shower, no picking a name or decorating a nursery. In fact, they weren't going to tell a soul. The only one who knew was Campbell, and that was only because Sookie had to spend a night on her couch when she told Eric what she wanted to do.

"You should eat something." Eric broke into her thoughts.

"I'm not hungry." Sookie hadn't eaten in at least twenty-four hours. Her guilt was consuming her.

"Wasting away isn't going to make it any better, Sookie."

"Don't lecture me, Eric. You have no idea how I'm feeling right now." She said bitterly.

"And you don't know how I'm feeling either, so don't give me that shit." His tone matched hers.

"I'm going back to Louisiana next week." She announced quietly. "I can't stand the way you look at me."

He flinched at her words. "Yeah, well, I can't stand the way you look me either, so I guess we're even."

He left the bedroom. Sookie turned onto her other side and stared at a new wall with the same vacant eyes. Everything felt stale. She pulled her knees up to her chest, took a deep breath and began to sob silently. Just when she thought she had nothing left, she always found a fresh batch of tears. The pain she felt in her belly was nothing compared to what she felt in her heart.

* * *

_Present Day_

Eric pounded on the door and waited for Sookie to let him in. He heard the flip of the deadbolt and then there was the rush of air when the door opened. One look at her face and it was like seeing her that awful day so many years ago when she'd come out of the clinic...

"Come in." She stepped back.

Eric walked past her and she closed the door behind him. "So, lets have it, Sookie." He was in no mood for beating around the bush.

"How much do you love your job, Eric?" Sookie asked once the door was locked again.

"What does that have to do with things?"

"Everything. Just answer my question." She demanded.

"Sookie, if I had to choose between you and our baby and this job, you bet your ass I'd choose you and our kid. Every fucking time. It's not even a contest. The fact that you would even think I'd choose differently..." Eric raked his hand through his hair.

"I know you would, Eric, and that's the problem. You still haven't answered my question, though. How much do you love your job?" Sookie exhaled sharply.

"It's important to me."

"You're avoiding me." Sookie shook her head.

"Fine, you win! I love my job! Happy now?"

"And where do you think we would be right now if things had turned out differently? Do you really think we'd be this happy little family? You'd be stuck in a job you hate and I would just be stuck period." Sookie argued.

"That's bullshit." Eric shook his head. "That's bullshit, and you know it! We were going to get married and have a family, Sookie! I could have gone to law school just like I always planned. We could have put the kid in day care or I could have gone to law school in Louisiana. Michelle would have watched the baby for us. I would have gone to night school, whatever it took to make things work, Sookie. We wouldn't have been stuck in dead end lives. You just gave up on us!"

"Is that what you really think?"

"I think you were selfish in your decision."

Sookie felt like she'd been slapped across the face. She'd always suspected he felt that way, but he'd never said as much. Still, hearing it didn't make it any easier to digest. Sookie stood in the kitchen with her back to Eric, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. He was hurt, and rather than deal with the hurt, he lashed out in anger. She knew him well.

Only he didn't know the whole story because she'd never told him the whole truth. It was easier, in a lot of ways, if he hated her. It made the break a little cleaner when she left. All these years he thought she aborted their baby, when in truth, she had miscarried. She lied to protect him, or so she thought at the time.

"I think you should go, Eric. Maybe this was all a mistake. I'll talk to Pam from now on when I have questions." Sookie spoke softly.

In less than twenty-four hours, it was over. How?

"I think that's a good idea. I'll make sure to pass along news when we have your fiance in custody." Eric spat, then let himself out of the apartment.

The door slammed, and Sookie was sure her heart broke all over again.

* * *

Sorry if I broke any hearts just now. Soooooo...fluffy flashback next chapter, yes? You got it. **Also! If you send me a PM and want me to respond, make sure you have your PMs enabled.** Thanks, baby birds! Hopefully, I'll have some fluff for ya soon.


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